Anybody else hunkering down for a few weeks

[Beachnutt]

I live alone and retired from my job last August and am in a position so that I really do not have to go anywhere much and can do grocery shopping early weekday morning to avoid any crowd, I am vaccinated but still will just sit life out for awhile due to the looney tunes who refuse to vaccinate...
I figure once people really see hospitalizations and mass death they will begin to tune out the tucker carlson types and get vaccinated.

[Siwsan]

1. I'm actually skipping my class reunion

I don't care if the dinner is going to be outside, 'weather permitting'. I'm not about to mix with a bunch of people whose vaccination status is a complete mystery to me.

[WhiteTara]

2. ...

[Dial H For Hero]

3. Nope. Currently on vacation in Thailand.

[Beachnutt]

4. Brave soul you are I suppose

[Dial H For Hero]

8. How so? Mask compliance here is virtually 100%.

I feel safer here than in Denver.

[Beachnutt]

15. Enjoy your vacation, stay safe.

[Dial H For Hero]

18. Thanks!

[Skittles]

20. brave?

yeah that's one word

[Dial H For Hero]

31. Not one I'd use under the circumstances. I do consider it a perfectly rational choice.

[Skittles]

35. whatever

[Dial H For Hero]

37. Thank you for the informative response.

[Skittles]

40. it's better than what I was REALLY thinking

over and OUT

[Dial H For Hero]

41. I implore you, please don't hold back on my account!

[BigmanPigman]

5. They have high Covid numbers there...

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/thailand/

Are they taking extra precautions or is it pretty much like the US? Do they have maskholes there?

[Dial H For Hero]

16. Much worse in Bangkok. I'm required to stay in the island of Phuket, which has much lower numbers.

Mask compliance approaches 100%. Heavy fines if caught unmasked in public.

[Beachnutt]

26. We need that here imo..

[Marius25]

6. I'm going on a short trip in New England in a couple weeks.

Mostly driving around though looking at houses. Won't be going to restaurants or anything. Hopefully will be ok since I'll be in the most vaccinated states in the country.

[DFW]

46. We've just been on a 5 week trip to New England

Specifically to the Outer Cape (Truro). One town over, Provincetown, experienced a drastic upswing in Covid cases after celebrating July 4th rashly, i.e. crowded bars. Although about 75% of the new cases, just about all Delta, were in people that were fully vaxxed, and I don't think any fatalities were reported.

We stayed mostly in our area of Truro, and mostly in the house or on the very uncrowded beaches. It was fine. Instead of our usual restaurant-hopping, we ate dinner out maybe three or four times the whole time we were here. My wife is a gourmet cook, anyway, so we just went to local shops and farmers markets, bought what she needed that day, and cooked in, pretty much what we do when we're home.

We drove back to Boston this morning, ditched the car, went to our hotel (wild Uber trip, I'll explain further down), and crashed. We got almost no sleep last night due to packing.

Tomorrow, my wife flies home, Boston to Amsterdam, and then on to Düsseldorf. We miss the days of Air Berlin, who had the only nonstop flights from Boston to Düsseldorf for all of two years. The Germans, always slow in their bureaucracy, have not yet re-classified the USA as an unsafe country, so she (so far) only needs her EU vaccination certificate. We got her tested yesterday just in case. I'll be in the USA a few more weeks. The real world starts again, and I have to earn the money for next year's trip here. It's always a pain to travel from Düsseldorf to the outer tip of Cape Cod, but we've been doing it every year since 1984. We were 32 then. We're 69 now. The world has changed, and even Cape Cod has changed--but not so much that we would ever want to stop going there.

**when we left our rented car at Logan Airport, we had to get to the hotel, and my wife said let's get a taxi, I just can't handle bringing all our stuff to a shuttle bus to a terminal and then waiting for a taxi there. So, I looked to see if my Uber app still worked (I never use it in Europe), and it did. The driver got out and he barely spoke English. From his accent, it was obvious what he DID speak (Spanish), and he was VERY relieved that I spoke it, too. He was from Guatemala, said he'd been in the Boston area for about 5 years. i didn't bother asking him how he got here 5 years ago, and was allowed to stay and drive an Uber if he could neither read nor write English. We joked around some, and then he told me he had failed several grades of school back in Guatemala, and had to repeat some grades more than once. He said he just wasn't wired for school.

Now, my wife and I know several people bordering on brilliant who can barely read because they suffer from dyslexia, not stupidity. I asked him if he was dyslexic. He had never even heard of the word, let alone the affliction (!!!!). I told him dyslexia was not only common, but recognized, and though there was no cure, there WERE programs to help people suffering from it. He was amazed, and made a note to get himself checked for it. From our conversation, it was clear to me that the guy was very bright, so I implored him to get tested for dyslexia, and maybe there was some program available to him to help him deal with it. He left with a very contemplative look on his face, and gave me a big stare of amazement when the bell staff came out and greeted me by name and shook my hand (I've known the guys at this hotel for years, and always tip big because they are always so helpful, and their jobs are such drudge work). I had told him we come to this hotel once a year, so he figured I must be some kind of VIP (wrong!). I'm not, but if the driver from Guatemala finds out he's a genius dyslexic, that will have made my day. I'll never find out, but I'll just hope.

[Iggo]

7. Since 3/16/20.

I remember dragging my office home for a couple of weeks, and that we’d probably add another two weeks after that just to be safe. Ah…good times!

😂😂😂😂😂

[H2O Man]

9. I'm retired, and

have been a hermit for years. I know that I am fortunate in that sense. But many people I love do not have this option.

[Beachnutt]

19. I know what you mean, lots of folks have to

work and continue on in daily life my family also and it scares the hell outta me.

[H2O Man]

21. Right.

Last night I learned that my 93-year old WW2 hero uncle's funeral has been postponed, due to Covid concerns. I think that is a good decision, although it serves as an example of the hardships that even staying home does. But the thought of people having to work etc is worse.

[tblue37]

10. Yes. nt

[Mr.Bill]

11. Virus aside, our activities are going to be

curtailed for awhile because of smoke from the fires. The fires are not near us and up until today the prevailing winds have kept the smoke away from us. Today I wore an N95 mask and goggles to walk to the mailbox. My wife has asthma, so we will be rather housebound for awhile. Only good thing is the smoke will somewhat mitigate the heat wave we have coming next week.

[FakeNoose]

12. I've been hanging low, same as you for the last 1-1/2 years

However I was planning to take an Amtrak train ride into New York to see my son, daughter-in-law and grandson. Now I'm not so sure. The Amtrak trains are carefully social-distanced and of course I'd wear a mask the entire trip. They will be very disappointed if I decide not to go this month.

[vanlassie]

25. On the west coast Amtrak trains are no longer social distanced.

As of my last trip, about four weeks ago.

[FakeNoose]

36. OK good to know

I'm pretty sure the line from Pittsburgh to New York is careful to make people sit apart. Maybe on their busy days - usually Friday p.m. and Monday a.m. - they might have trouble doing that.

I haven't taken the train since March 2020.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

13. Nope,

I'm making a delivery to a Home Depot in WA tomorrow and then I'll hit the nearest Truck Stop for the rest of the weekend and do a 34 hour restart, then pick up a load and head to Twin Falls, ID.

[NightWatcher]

14. Nope, I'm sending a kid (

They're smart and will wear a mask, they've been great so far and understand the seriousness of it.



My anxiety is in overdrive

[Beachnutt]

22. Me too, very nervous at this point for society and the school kids,

this is a hard time in life but if everybody can get on the same page somehow we can get through this.

[maxsolomon]

17. No more than usual.

I am vaccinated.

[LeftInTX]

23. Have a voter registration event at the mall tomorrow...Anxious about it...

I still go to the grocery store and do my essential shopping...

I only stopped grocery shopping for 2 months in 2020

I feel safe in the stores because they aren't crowded...However, a mall is different.

I'm vaccinated.

[tanyev]

24. We never stopped hunkering down.

I do go in to work, but most everything else is curbside pickup or delivery. Streaming movies for entertainment.

[LisaL]

27. I wish I could.

I would totally be hunkering down if I had the means to do it.

[Luciferous]

28. Going to visit family tomorrow but they are vaccinated.

[left-of-center2012]

29. I'm 75 and a stay-at-home hermit

I get my groceries and medications delivered.

[Johonny]

30. No, but staying in my usual zone

outside hiking, minimum timed entry indoor stuff.

2 week we're suppose to take vacation, not sure what to do then.

[Initech]

32. I'm so tired of hunkering down.

I'm canceling plans I had for this weekend and probably next. One of which is a neighborhood party but if my right wing anti-vax neighbors are there, I definitely won't be going.

But I figure in a couple of weeks we'll know more about this shitty variant and we'll be able to go from there.

[Blue_true]

33. I am vaccinated. I am doing what I have done since the start of the pandemic,

wearing a good mask inside and keeping my distance from other people. I have too much going on to be able to stay at home, but I envy your situation.

[triron]

34. Yep. No indoor dining, gym,swimming, dancing (all of which I and my significant other do).

Also wear N95 mask when grocery shopping. Sometime I order delivery.

[empedocles]

38. I needed to fly to Boston and back to DC. The crowded flight and plane,

raised my consciousness/ fear. Much more distant now.

Go to my gym at quiet times, wear mask, and the only one wearing gloves.

[tinrobot]

39. Nope. I'm vaccinated, wear a mask, live in a fairly safe area

Most people here wear masks and are also vaccinated.

We're also sick and tired of those who don't.

[marble falls]

42. Hell, yes. Four weeks min, in week two.

[Ms. Toad]

43. Kind of the opposite.

Classes start bright and early tomorrow morning.

I've got about 35 students for the next two days, then a completely different group of about 90 students.

At least my school changed the facemask policy, so masks are required. Vaccination registration is required, and those who do not demonstrate they have been vaccinated will be required to undergo regular testing.

I'm happy to be back in person - but it is a bit nervewrackinggiven where we are with COVID.

[Maru Kitteh]

44. I am an infection control nurse.

So, you can probably make some pretty accurate guesses about what my life is like right now.

[AngryOldDem]

49. Oh, wow.

I can’t imagine what it must be like for you. Stay safe.

[AwakeAtLast]

45. Alas, school starts next week.

However, I am lucky to have a governor who has required masks in schools once again (Pritzker). And Illinois has a high vaccination rate, too. I will still be cautious, but not able to hunker down like I would like to.

[DFW]

47. Not really an option for me.

I either travel for my work, or I am forcibly retired. So I travel. Not nearly as much as I used to, of course. Maybe eight trips a month to a different country instead of the usual eighteen, but it's no less stressful, as the work I used get done on the 18 trips mist now be done in 8 trips, and due to reduced travel options, I am sometimes forced to spend the night in countries (e.g. Spain) where the usual evening flight back to Düsseldorf was stricken from the schedule. If it's someplace close, like France, Switzerland, Belgium or the Netherlands, I'll take the train, but Spain would be 24-30 hours each way, and that I will not do to myself.

[AngryOldDem]

48. I'd really like to.

But I can’t. Work won’t allow it.