POLL - Should We Start To Open Our Economy Again?

[Cat Herder]

Meanwhile in Georgia: "restaurants, gyms, hair salons and more will all be allowed to open at the end of this week and beginning of next week."

[bklsmum]

15 pages of obits in the Boston Globe yesterday. I am just beside myself. My stepmom is an RN in an ICU here in MA and she is a Republican but wants to beat the protesters because of what she has seen at work. Direct quote "I took care of AIDS patients before it was even called AIDS. I have taken care of Ebola patients, swine flu patients and every other disease you can think of...I have never seen anything kill like this."

[Ariana]

No, this is simply not true. My cough/sneeze is NOT properly contained in ANY MASK, except for an N95. Please look up the videos showing the spray through the masks. Joe down the street sporting a bandana, and therefor NOT covering his mouth is making it worse. Not me, refusing to use a damn mask.

SAVE THE PPE FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS, please.

Cross contamination is RIDICULOUS. None of the average public uses masks or gloves correctly and they are spreading it worse than if they werent using anything.

I am also EXTREMELY low risk. Self isolating, one store/biweekly now, no one in my house is leaving home, my parents are now ALL working from home and ALL are now doing instacart, etc. Our spread is also not even NYC levels.

It is not logical that something in front of your face will not block a sneeze or cough. It may not block it 100% but it will block it from reaching up to 10ft which is the reach using nothing. All of the videos I have seen show that they do decrease particle spray by 1/3. Countries where masks were issued to its population are showing much less transmission than those who did not.

Anyway we will agree to disagree. Even the medical community is divided on this topic.

[Ariana]

Meanwhile in Georgia: "restaurants, gyms, hair salons and more will all be allowed to open at the end of this week and beginning of next week."

The thing is, people can choose to open and people can choose to go. Same for childcare here. Some of us opened and some of us are still closed. Some people send their kids and some people choose to keep them home.

[happymom]

I am happy and thankful to live in a state where covid isn't bad. We never fully locked down, and many things are planned to begin reopening on May 1st.

My child care center re-opened today. My husband and I are trying to figure out when will be best to send our 4 year old back. I am less worried about coronavirus than most people I know, I think, but still am choosing to social distance.

[Cat Herder]

The thing is, people can choose to open and people can choose to go. Same for childcare here. Some of us opened and some of us are still closed. Some people send their kids and some people choose to keep them home.

Oh, I get it. It was literally just announced when I posted that. No funding came through for average people. People need to go back to work. We can't wait on someone to come save us, we know no one is coming. History has taught us that well. All can open Friday.

Gyms/Fitness Centers
Bowling alleys
Body art studios
Barbers
Cosmetologists
Hair designers
Nail care artists
Estheticians
Massage therapists
Related schools to these professions

[Annalee]

Everything, with social distancing still in place, will open here by Friday.

I opened daycare back up today and sensed a "happy to be out" with my families....it needs to happen.

Sure, there will be some that make poor decisions but???

Oddly, Walmart began today making their employees wear mask???? Not sure why now, and not before?

I expected to have a rough day as it was my first day back after two weeks off, but it was wonderful....had 8 of my 12 kids......plus my child care grants were approved so waiting a few weeks to re-imburse my families for the last two weeks they paid me for but I know it's coming. happyface

[Michael]

The question is—do you have a choice? Freedom is choice, but responsibility to yourself and others blurs that line. I think we are at the point in this country where the federal and state agencies can manage the decisions of its people. Will there be more infection and death? Undoubtedly, yes. Those that are vulnerable or want to protect themselves, can stay safe at home. Those that want to go out and resume their previous lives, should have the freedom to do so. Will they be responsible and wear face masks and sanitize? Many will, and some won’t. Those that go out with protection will be better protected than those that don’t have protection. Some may already be immune or have a good immune system and won’t have any difficulty going about their normal lives and business.

Those that get infected, now have a much better chance of overcoming this disease than 4 weeks ago. We can manage this disease with exceptions. One size does not fit all. You can lose your life or lose your freedoms. That should be an individual decision. People that are careless and wrong will either learn of their decisions with sickness or death. Life teaches and those that are correct, stronger and more prepared will survive. It is a reward or punish teachable moment.

[bklsmum]

I think everywhere in the US will be open by mid June at the latest and then I think we will have to shut down again by fall. I think in most major places kids will not be going back to physical school in the fall either. I think they will do remote learning from day 1 next school year. I know NY, MA, CA and TX are already talking about it .

[Valerie928]

I think everywhere in the US will be open by mid June at the latest and then I think we will have to shut down again by fall. I think in most major places kids will not be going back to physical school in the fall either. I think they will do remote learning from day 1 next school year. I know NY, MA, CA and TX are already talking about it .

You can't be serious. There is no way we can keep doing open up/shut down.

[Josiegirl]

There was a 5 yo little girl who recently died from this miserable illness. A little while ago, there was a 6 week old baby that died of Covid-19. Where were their choices.

Responsible adults should be taking steps to protect themselves and others.
Irresponsible adults don't care or are too lazy or don't believe there's truly anything to worry about, to adhere to rules.

Yes, the world needs to ease into opening back up, with restrictions, limits, protections, new laws. People can hate it, protest it, deny it, but please, above all else, be responsible about it. Don't protest in large groups, or fill churches with 500 people, unmasked and not socially distanced. Don't crowd beaches or public arenas without being responsible. Don't push through WalMart's door as if it's Black Friday. Humanity cannot handle it. The whole entire health care and medical system cannot handle it. My son who works in retail cannot handle it. My 75 yo sister and her 80 yo Alzeimer's dh cannot handle it. Is their only choice to stay home and never socialize again? None of our small children have a choice about how irresponsible people act, can handle it.
:confused:

[Valerie928]

There was a 5 yo little girl who recently died from this miserable illness. A little while ago, there was a 6 week old baby that died of Covid-19. Where were their choices.

Responsible adults should be taking steps to protect themselves and others.
Irresponsible adults don't care or are too lazy or don't believe there's truly anything to worry about, to adhere to rules.

Yes, the world needs to ease into opening back up, with restrictions, limits, protections, new laws. People can hate it, protest it, deny it, but please, above all else, be responsible about it. Don't protest in large groups, or fill churches with 500 people, unmasked and not socially distanced. Don't crowd beaches or public arenas without being responsible. Don't push through WalMart's door as if it's Black Friday. Humanity cannot handle it. The whole entire health care and medical system cannot handle it. My son who works in retail cannot handle it. My 75 yo sister and her 80 yo Alzeimer's dh cannot handle it. Is their only choice to stay home and never socialize again? None of our small children have a choice about how irresponsible people act, can handle it.
:confused:

A lot of pediatric deaths from flu this year. Very very small portion of children have poor outcomes from covid. Covid primarily is devastating to older folks. Older people need to stay home. But, ironically I see so many out when I have to go to the grocery store. Our grocery stores provide instacart pick ups or delivery but still the old people who know they are high risk are always shopping in the store.

I understand not allowing a free for all opening of all things but open we must. It's America. 50 different states with 50 different governors with different rules.

[Cat Herder]

Our grocery stores provide instacart pick ups or delivery but still the old people who know they are high risk are always shopping in the store.

I understand not allowing a free for all opening of all things but open we must. It's America. 50 different states with 50 different governors with different rules.

Local instacart here is backed up almost 30 days for appointments. Once you finally get an appointment it gets canceled because of low stock. People from the city drive two hours out here because their suppliers became empty weeks ago.

[Valerie928]

Local instacart here is backed up almost 30 days for appointments. Once you finally get an appointment it gets canceled because of low stock. People from the city drive two hours out here because their suppliers became empty weeks ago.

We don't have that problem here in upstate ny. We are backed up but up to a week at most. My elderly father uses grocery delivery and if he couldn't I would gladly shop for him.

[MyAngels]

I do think we should be opening back up, slowly but surely. Each individual person needs to be responsible for their own well being and that of their family.

I'd also like to see some of the billions that we're spending to prop up these large companies put into protecting our most vulnerable citizens. It's making me sick watching my DH's boss talk about "making bank" with the PPP loan he's getting for his business because he's still open, bringing in income, but the federal government is paying a big chunk of his bills for the next 2 months. Something just doesn't seem right with that.