Coronavirus:

[chuck]

Last week they were on TV celebrating the lack of traffic; now it's the lack of cargo.

“Roseann Rosannadanna” who habitually ended her routine with the line, “It's always something,”

[robert.]

I'm sure the lack of traffic is nice. On a good day it can take me 7-8 hours to go from bucks county to Richmond. now it might be only 5.

[robert.]

New mandates set by governor wolf
In addition to the social distancing, mitigation and cleaning protocols, businesses that serve the public within a building or defined area are ordered to implement the following measures, the order states:

Require all customers to wear masks while on premises, and deny entry to individuals not wearing masks, unless the business is providing medication, medical supplies, or food, in which case the business must provide alternative methods of pick-up or delivery of goods, except individuals who cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition (including children under the age of 2 years) may enter the premises without having to provide medical documentation.
Conduct business with the public by appointment only and, to the extent that this is not feasible, limit occupancy to no greater than 50 percent of the number stated on their certificate of occupancy as necessary to reduce crowding in the business and at check-out and counter lines in order to maintain a social distance of six feet, and place signage throughout each site to mandate social distancing for both customers and employees.
Alter hours of business so that the business has sufficient time to clean or to restock or both.
Install shields or other barriers at registers and check-out areas to physically separate cashiers and customers or take other measures to ensure social distancing of customers from check-out personnel, or close lines to maintain a social distance between of six feet between lines.
Encourage use of online ordering by providing delivery or outside pick-up.
Designate a specific time for high-risk and elderly persons to use the business at least once every week if there is a continuing in-person customer-facing component.
In businesses with multiple check-out lines, only use every other register, or fewer. After every hour, rotate customers and employees to the previously closed registers. Clean the previously open registers and the surrounding area, including credit card machines, following each rotation.
Schedule handwashing breaks for employees at least every hour
Where carts and handbaskets are available, assign an employee to wipe down carts and handbaskets before they become available to a new customer.
The latest order follows a series of closures that began a month ago. All Pennsylvania schools have been closed since at least March 17, and all of the state's non-essential services were ordered closed March 23. A statewide stay-at-home order was instituted on April 1.

[chuck]

While I welcome the traffic reduction, the level of distracted driving has gone through the roof. On a 10 minute drive to a local market I had multiple people at multiple traffic lights that were still sitting at the intersection when the light turned green. In one case, it almost cycled back to red before they moved. I have no idea if they were playing with their phones, daydreaming, just not with it.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Speaking of new traffic norms, have you seen in the News shots of the recessed roadway helix that leads through Union City and down to Lincoln Tunnel? Typically (whatever that has come to mean,) at 8am-ish, it is jam-packed with multiple lanes - every one of them - bumper-to-bumper with traffic inching along at a painfully slow sub-crawl.

However, nowadays , you can actually count the less than half dozen cars spread-out along the entire visible helix's main loop; every day, a few vehicles, right thru the entire rush hour . Amazing. And a bit alarming, if you've ever seen or been punished with participating in how it usually presents.

[v8vega]

Wow Robert is all that enforced. We have a lot of restrictions but not that bad in LA area.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Some states are starting to actively enforce restrictions.

Went to Costco this morning - senior hours before 9 am. Turns out they were open at 7:30 and we got there ~8. Line was 3 loops long but as folks came out, some went in - steady state. Got nearly everything on the list and a bit more. Probably good for April and part of May. Almost no line when we exited.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Looking some distance ahead:
During a walk through the neighborhood a couple days ago, I came across some little chocolate, candy-covered Easter egg-type confections, approx. the size of Robins' eggs, which somebody had dropped on the sidewalk. A couple were cracked-open. This particular neighborhood block has quite a number of children in it.

Seeing those candy eggs on the sidewalk made me think a few months ahead of Halloween. I have a feeling there is another tradition which is going to be avoided, once we get right up to it. Why? Because I cannot imagine any parent escorting or allowing their children to independently roam through any neighborhood, going DOOR-TO-DOOR, receiving random candies from largely unknown (or even the familiar) households, having no idea whatsoever who touched the candies before they were handed-out, and then, having the children unwrap the candy, later, and putting that candy directly into their mouths after touching the wrappers. Nope. I don't think so.

And that reminded me of an interview I saw of Mr. & Mrs. Bill Gates. He stated that he had the viewpoint that vaccines and any other progress against this virus would not be on the scene until 2021. Also, Gov. Cuomo, yesterday, said that he had the strong opinion that it would take 12 -18 months for any significant progress to be made against the virus.

Both those interviews, plus that candy on the sidewalk, gave me the viewpoint that, perhaps, Christmas 2020 will be dissolved away like Easter was. No church attendance. So, aside from the profane/secular, what chance would there be for much of the sacred aspects?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Looking some distance ahead:
During a walk through the neighborhood a couple days ago, I came across some little chocolate, candy-covered Easter egg-type confections, approx. the size of Robins' eggs, which somebody had dropped on the sidewalk. A couple were cracked-open. This particular neighborhood block has quite a number of children in it.

Seeing those candy eggs on the sidewalk made me think a few months ahead of Halloween. I have a feeling there is another tradition which is going to be avoided, once we get right up to it. Why? Because I cannot imagine any parent escorting or allowing their children to independently roam through any neighborhood, going DOOR-TO-DOOR, receiving random candies from largely unknown (or even the familiar) households, having no idea whatsoever who touched the candies before they were handed-out, and then, having the children unwrap the candy, later, and putting that candy directly into their mouths after touching the wrappers. Nope. I don't think so.

And that reminded me of an interview I saw of Mr. & Mrs. Bill Gates. He stated that he had the viewpoint that vaccines and any other progress against this virus would not be on the scene until 2021. Also, Gov. Cuomo, yesterday, said that he had the strong opinion that it would take 12 -18 months for any significant progress to be made against the virus.

Not really news. Pages back I stated that it's 18 months away if everything goes perfectly; all the excitement over a vaccine being announced by any company is fluff; trials are being started but those are phase 1......

Both those interviews, plus that candy on the sidewalk, gave me the viewpoint that, perhaps, Christmas 2020 will be dissolved away like Easter was. No church attendance. So, aside from the profane/secular, what chance would there be for much of the sacred aspects?

Do you really need an edifice?

[MurphOnMillerAve]

My point wasn't me , so much, as it was attempting to be about the millions of people who do see Holy Days as properly and traditionally expressed and enjoyed in an edifice, among and with others, as well as in their home and with friends.

And I was suggesting some folks might see social, communal sharing as changed, even forbidden, as it was for Easter.

Some monks only need a cell, or even just a field, or cave, open to the sky.

[chuck]

It is possible with todays technology to share some events with relatives/friends/colleagues. No it's not exactly the same as being there but it is much better than what was available even a scant 10 years ago AND it is much safer.

My daughter belongs to an axe throwing league. They used to meet up on Sunday afternoons, 5PM to 7PM to throw hatchets at targets (it's actually a Canadian thing). They can't do that right now because of the lock down. Instead, they gather on line (usually about eight of them) and play games via the net. NOTE this is not the usual internet RPG. It's a combination of phone and computer conferencing where they can see and hear each other in real time while playing Pictionary or Scategories. It is a way to keep in touch and share some time.

We have men and women in the armed services or research scientist or even astronauts that are more seriously isolated and for significantly longer periods of time with far fewer creature comforts and they do so with far less sturm und drang. Of course all of them were "volunteers" and had (or at least should have had) some idea what they were getting into. The rest of us are draftee's.

For the most part we (as a country) have been doing pretty well. We need to exercise patience and (in this case) literally follow doctors orders if we hope to beat this down/back. For the most part we have been doing a great job but there are no quick/easy fixes. JFK's quote from his inaugural address was never truer:

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country

If it means wearing a mask and staying home for a while, so be it.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

My point wasn't me , so much, as it was attempting to be about the millions of people who do see Holy Days as properly and traditionally expressed and enjoyed in an edifice, among and with others, as well as in their home and with friends.

And I was suggesting some folks might see social, communal sharing as changed, even forbidden, as it was for Easter.

It might be.

Some monks only need a cell, or even just a field, or cave, open to the sky.

Anywhere is already everything.

Those that need everything else, buildings, costumes, pageantry, dog & pony shows, someone to tell them what to do and think need to reassess their faith. They begin to remind me of those that need a lightning rod on the steeple.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

It is possible with todays technology to share some events with relatives/friends/colleagues. No it's not exactly the same as being there but it is much better than what was available even a scant 10 years ago AND it is much safer.

Take a look at using a service like Zoom.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

My point wasn't me , so much, as it was attempting to be about the millions of people who do see Holy Days as properly and traditionally expressed and enjoyed in an edifice, among and with others, as well as in their home and with friends.

And I was suggesting some folks might see social, communal sharing as changed, even forbidden, as it was for Easter.

It might be.

Some monks only need a cell, or even just a field, or cave, open to the sky.

Anywhere is already everything.

Beautiful, Rufus.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

My point wasn't me , so much, as it was attempting to be about the millions of people who do see Holy Days as properly and traditionally expressed and enjoyed in an edifice, among and with others, as well as in their home and with friends.

And I was suggesting some folks might see social, communal sharing as changed, even forbidden, as it was for Easter.

It might be.

Some monks only need a cell, or even just a field, or cave, open to the sky.

Anywhere is already everything.

Beautiful, Rufus.

All depends on belief and choice of belief.