Sheltering in Place

May 7, 2020









Sheltering in Place

This week has seen the pressure continue to build to reopen as much business and get things back to “normal” in spite of what clearly is an ongoing rise in the number of people infected with the virus and a continuing pandemic that shows no signs of abating any time soon. In fact today the overall numbers of cases in the United States has risen to 1,231,943 with an astounding 73,566 deaths due to the virus. Numbers that continue to rise and risk exploding again exponentially as states rush to reopen and large gatherings become ever more common again.







Thankfully here in Key West, we have managed to keep the situation under control as we are holding steady with 80 confirmed cases in Monroe County, 39 of those being here in Key West and still only 3 people who have sadly passed away. Those numbers remain low because of the tremendous efforts of our community leaders, health care professionals and citizens who have for the most part been following the guidelines.









Shelter in Place fatigue is a real thing and as restaurants, parks and beaches and other businesses begin to open, a urge in people gathering at those spots has indeed happened and now we will just have to wait and see if that translates into another sharp increase in cases. Kathy and I are opting to not rush to rejoin the masses and will not be dining in restaurants, shopping or visiting any beach or park that has large crowds. Staying away from other people is the name of the game and we plan to continue isolation and distancing for the near term at least.







That doesn’t mean we are isolating ourselves inside, in fact we have been taking safe adventures to mostly unpopulated places throughout the lockdown and will continue to have these outings, especially in the natural outdoor settings of the Florida Keys that can be safely visited while remaining away from other people, even if there are others there. This week we ventured up to Boca Chica Beach for the first time in many years to hike along the abandoned beach road that runs behind the runways of Naval Air Station Key West.







At first I thought we had made a dreadful mistake as the parking area and beach along that section seemed packed with people, families hosting picnics, beachgoers and lots of others with frequent examples of people not following the basic guidelines. We almost turned around and went home, but opted to walk past all the people along the blocked off former road and once we did, suddenly there was no one around.







Boca Chica Beach has long been an area for people to get away from it all, for years it was the only “nude” beach in Key West though that was an unofficial moniker, it was in fact the case. Everyone knew that you could frolic nude without care and that the farthest end of the beach was a popular hook-up spot, especially for the gay community. In more recent years a definite hippie vibe has taken root and free spirits have made the place theitr own contributing graffiti and even large structures created from driftwood and found objects. It is pretty interesting to explore.







Alas we didn’t see any nudists and only a couple of souls at all, who were also just trying to find a cool isolated spot away from others to spend some time. The beach was as clean and beautiful as ever and it felt great to feel like you were lost in nature when in reality we were just minutes away from civilization. We spent a really nice afternoon walking the beach and checking out the place which remains a tiny slice of the bohemian atmosphere that used to be way more prevalent in Key West.







I think we will need more and more of these adventures away from the masses as this pandemic 
continues. I really believe that this push to reopen is happening way too fast and there will be serious and sad consequences. The worst part is that I understand the delicate balance that is needed between getting people back to work and keeping the public safe, sadly most politicians and many others just don’t seem to get it. They keep casting the dilemma as an either or proposition when it need not be that way by pitting people’s need to earn an income versus the need to keep everyone as safe as possible. The fact is if done with forethought and consideration, both may be possible. Sadly the rush to reopen does not seem to take that into consideration and people seem to be either for reopening recklessly or for keeping everything locked down when the reality is just not that simple.