So far, the government here is talking basically just pleading with people to do the right thing with social distancing. But people aren't, so they finally closed pubs, restaurants, gyms, etc. on Friday. And today the mayor of London put out a message saying they might get the police to start enforcing social distancing. It feels like past time, given how things have gone elsewhere. People still aren't taking it seriously. SRB and I went to the Olympic Park today to get some sunshine and there were lots of people out and about. That would be fine, as far as I understand, if everyone stayed in little pods limited to the people they live with. And most seem to be that way: parents with kids, obvious couples, singletons. Maintaining plenty of distance. But there was a group of 15 or so doing a boot camp-type workout and they were periodically getting into little circles and doing sit ups much too close together. Separately, I saw a guy pick up an errant Frisbee that a couple were throwing back and forth. I wanted to yell at them all. Weird impulse.
A helicopter was hovering overhead for a while, I wonder if it was monitoring how much mixing was going on below.
The boot campers weren't even touching each other, as far as I saw. But still it seems really irresponsible to be gathering in a group at all, especially outside. And I wonder if SRB and I ourselves are being too blasé, even though we kept good distance when we do go outside for a walk or run and haven't had any in-person social interaction with anyone other than each other since Sunday for me, Monday for her. I was self-isolating even more strictly for the past week because of my cold. Went to the grocery store around the corner yesterday for the first time and even then I didn't interact with anyone and held my breath passing people in the aisles.
A friend from Islamabad, who's now posted in El Salvador, texted a group we're both part of that the government there just imposed a 30-day quarantine, Wuhan-style. One person at a time can leave to buy groceries, any other outside journeys severely curtailed, necessary sectors continue working under strict conditions, payment of bills suspended for three months, financial assistance for low-income families, restaurants can do deliveries. Police are patrolling and anyone caught violating quarantine will be sent to a government camp or detention center of some kind of the rest of the 30-day period. And, unbelievably, my reaction to that is, "Well, seems a bit harsh, but fair enough." Something similar going on now in Kazakhstan, another group member said.
It's amazing to me how quickly my brain adapted to the idea that what is essentially martial law could be sensible, how quickly I've accepted that people need to be protected from themselves and their own stupid behavior in such an extreme way. It is hard to imagine that ordinary social interaction with apparently healthy people could be harmful, even with the media telling a consistent and alarming story about it. It is hard to change behavior so fast. Coming back to SRB and me: I don't want to believe that my being outside in public, alone, is too dangerous for society at large, regardless of whether or not it is. But I don't really know. So I'm sympathetic to people who draw the line a bit more self-servingly than I do.
I suppose the quarantines are a bit like a temporary and very extreme form of seatbelt laws or drunk driving checkpoints. Especially in countries where the health system is really not prepared for a heavy onslaught, even more so than places like the UK or US. But then again, detention centers? Charging people with a crime? I still don't like that. Plus detention centers seem like they'd be incubators.
A helicopter was hovering overhead for a while, I wonder if it was monitoring how much mixing was going on below.
The boot campers weren't even touching each other, as far as I saw. But still it seems really irresponsible to be gathering in a group at all, especially outside. And I wonder if SRB and I ourselves are being too blasé, even though we kept good distance when we do go outside for a walk or run and haven't had any in-person social interaction with anyone other than each other since Sunday for me, Monday for her. I was self-isolating even more strictly for the past week because of my cold. Went to the grocery store around the corner yesterday for the first time and even then I didn't interact with anyone and held my breath passing people in the aisles.
A friend from Islamabad, who's now posted in El Salvador, texted a group we're both part of that the government there just imposed a 30-day quarantine, Wuhan-style. One person at a time can leave to buy groceries, any other outside journeys severely curtailed, necessary sectors continue working under strict conditions, payment of bills suspended for three months, financial assistance for low-income families, restaurants can do deliveries. Police are patrolling and anyone caught violating quarantine will be sent to a government camp or detention center of some kind of the rest of the 30-day period. And, unbelievably, my reaction to that is, "Well, seems a bit harsh, but fair enough." Something similar going on now in Kazakhstan, another group member said.
It's amazing to me how quickly my brain adapted to the idea that what is essentially martial law could be sensible, how quickly I've accepted that people need to be protected from themselves and their own stupid behavior in such an extreme way. It is hard to imagine that ordinary social interaction with apparently healthy people could be harmful, even with the media telling a consistent and alarming story about it. It is hard to change behavior so fast. Coming back to SRB and me: I don't want to believe that my being outside in public, alone, is too dangerous for society at large, regardless of whether or not it is. But I don't really know. So I'm sympathetic to people who draw the line a bit more self-servingly than I do.
I suppose the quarantines are a bit like a temporary and very extreme form of seatbelt laws or drunk driving checkpoints. Especially in countries where the health system is really not prepared for a heavy onslaught, even more so than places like the UK or US. But then again, detention centers? Charging people with a crime? I still don't like that. Plus detention centers seem like they'd be incubators.
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