New Poem: RED TO ORANGE AND BACK TO RED

 it’s springtime 

 it’s the annual celebration of Resurrection 

 it’s the local supermarket telling customers:

 sanitize your carts your own damn self

 it’s all the beach towns eager for spring break $

 get as many college kids on the piers as possible 

 before the media optics look too bad

 and we have to limit access and hand out masks

 >

 on the West Coast,

 we read about infection spread in the Midwest

 but we—again—want normal before we’re ready

 begging for a few more gallops before the storm clouds gather

  

THE REOPEN THE ECONOMY COVID CIRCLE GAME

 Inspired by the Joni Mitchell song:

 Today the governors and the mayors sing open up fast

 Masks peel off in Texas, indoor restaurant service in NY and CA

 No longer fearful of potential spread and variants

 Looking the other way from falling stars

 >

 And the coronavirus still goes round and round

 No way to keep it curbed will be found

 When White Republicans won’t bare their arms

 And we enter a second year with potential for great harm

 

 

 

Why the Los Angeles County spread may not slow down enough

 After days of advance notice, here’s Los Angeles County trying to balance controlling the increased spread of Coronavirus and continuing hospitalizations plus deaths with the no doubt forcefully stated reluctance to return to springtime closures from various businesses.  Essentially, much of this requires people to be on the honor system between November 30th and December 20th.  Given what looks to be a post-Thanksgiving uptick in infections and deaths plus Trump/Fox News-turbocharged encouragement of recklessness in the cloak of observing traditions, Los Angeles County is in for a rough three weeks. 

[Quoted from DEADLINE article]

Here are details about the stricter limits on L.A. County residents that will begin Monday as a result of a fifth consecutive day of 4,500 or more new cases of Covid-19:

• Gatherings: all public and private gatherings with individuals not
  in your household are prohibited, except for church services and protests,
  which are constitutionally protected rights.
• Occupancy limits at various businesses; all individuals at these
  sites are required to wear face coverings and keep at least 6 feet of distance:
• Essential retail: 35% maximum occupancy;
• Nonessential retail (includes indoor malls): 20% maximum occupancy;
• Personal care services: 20% maximum occupancy;
• Libraries: 20% maximum occupancy;
• Fitness centers operating outdoors: 50% maximum occupancy;
• Museums galleries, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens operating outdoors: 50% maximum occupancy;
• Mini-golf, batting cages, go-kart racing operating outdoors: 50%
  maximum occupancy;
• Outdoor recreation activities all which require face coverings (except for swimming) and distancing: Beaches, trails and parks remain open; gatherings at these sites with members outside your household are prohibited.
• Golf courses, tennis courts, pickleball, archery ranges, skate parks, bike parks and community gardens remain open for individuals or members of a single household. Pools that serve more than one household may open only for regulated lap swimming with one person per lane. Drive-in movies/events/car parades are permitted provided occupants in each car are members of one household.
• Schools: All schools and day camps remain open adhering to reopening protocols. K-12 Schools and Day Camps with an outbreak (3 cases or more over 14 days) should close for 14 days.
• Closed nonessential businesses/activities:
• Playgrounds (with the exception of playgrounds at childcare and schools;
• Cardrooms;
• Restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries remain closed for in-person dining and drinking because of the high rates of transmission in the community, as customers are not wearing face coverings, which results in  an increased chance of transmission of the virus. Restaurants, wineries and breweries remain open for pick-up, delivery and take-out. Breweries and wineries remain open for retail sales at 20% occupancy.