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.

“Nobody on the road Nobody on the beach I feel it in the air The summer's out of reach Empty lake, empty streets The sun goes down alone. “- Don Henley

May 4, 2020

“Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer's out of reach

Empty lake, empty streets
The sun goes down alone. “- Don Henley

May is normally my absolute favorite month of the year, as for the past 49 years, I have traveled to my ancestral home of Indianapolis, Indiana to attend my favorite event, the Indianapolis 500. This year will be the first time that I have not spent a good portion of May in Indianapolis and more specifically the Indianapolis Motor Speedway watching practice, qualifying and the race itself with myriad friends and family. This year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race is postponed until August 23 and I have my doubts that it will be held even then.

Neighbors Anne and Artie 

The outbreak seems to be speeding along at a breakneck pace as the current bleak numbers can attest with 3,596,766 confirmed cases worldwide. Here in the United States the numbers continue to skyrocket as there are now 1,193,129 cases and a horrific 68,978 people who have dies due to the virus since just March 1^st. We past a tragic milestone this week as the number of dead from this virus outpaced the total number who died during the entirety of the Vietnam War.

 

Carry-out from Chico's

Her locally, we are doing much better than much of the nation as we have only 80 confirmed cases in Monroe County with 39 here in Key West. All those hospitalized (11 in total) have been released which is great news and we have held steady at 3 deaths since early in the pandemic. Our isolated location, the fact that roadblocks are active and we still are nor open for visitors as well as a pretty good job by locals of practicing social distancing all I think have helped us keep our numbers low and the ominous curve flattened to date.

 

Kim and Cody

Lately though there have been a lot of worrying signs as 30 states, including Florida are beginning to reduce restrictions and reopen the economy and businesses. Here in Florida the governor ordered a phased in reopening and today marks the first time that restaurants and non-essential businesses can reopen with restrictions in place such as limiting occupancy to 25 % and requiring facemasks. Only Miami- Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties where the outbreak has been the most severe are still under lockdown.

 

I get that dual forces are creating a situation that I think will prove to be a foolhardy mistake of re-opening too soon. The first is a general shelter in place fatigue. I get this- we too have been experiencing it. Not just the tedium of being at home most of the time isolated together and not really seeing anyone in a real way. It is hard, part of why I miss being in Indianapolis is not just because I miss the racing, but I miss seeing my friends and family and sharing special moments with them. No virtual interactions can replace the feelings of real human interactions. The second is the financial crisis that the virus has created and the very real pain that politicians and leaders are hearing about from the people. Pressure is building to get things open and get the economy going.

 

I get that as well, but sadly the safeguards that really need to be in place to ensure a safe way forward are just not there yet and it is going to I fear make this situation go from horrible to outright catastrophic. I really hope I am wrong, but the vast majority of educated scientific professionals are in agreement in their dire warnings and they, unlike the political leadership have been right to date.

Key West has started the long, hopefully slow progress towards reopening. 

 

This week they reopened all the local parks and beaches to the local public, with strict social distancing rules still in effect. I was walking Jack when counties workers were removing barricades to the White Street Pier and Higgs Beach and was among the first people to visit those locations in five weeks. It was nice, especially being the only one there. The Pier and all local beaches quickly filled up as residents took advantage of beautiful weather and open beaches to get out of the house. 

 

Kathy and I are still in people avoidance mode though and other than occasionally running into friends on the streets while walking and people dropping by and us talking across the fence and at a distance greater than 6 feet, we really have not had much interaction with others.

 

Eric and Rosie

We continue to enjoy our wonderful new little pool and to take long walks and bike rides around the still very deserted island. It will be interesting to see if the relaxation of restrictions brings more people back out. I know I will be spending more time in my office, which thankfully I have to myself most of the time. And while I would much prefer to be in Indiana visiting family and friends, I appreciate that we are fortunate to have our health and each other and we are trying to make the most of this strange gift of more time at home and together.