San Mateo went into the Purple Tier on November 28th which means that we will have a curfew until our Covid-19 situation improves. What does this mean for us? We now have a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. as a means of lowering the amount of unnecessary activities that raise the number of cases.
Things that are still allowed outdoors are gyms, entertainment centers like museums and movie theaters, and places to eat. From what I’ve seen the outdoor eating in San Mateo has been very successful from a business standpoint but safety is another story. As the weather is getting cooler, more and more restaurants are adding additional walls to their eating areas to get rid of the breeze. This might seem nice but by adding walls they essentially are creating indoor eating outside which spreads covid very easily. Keeping the virus inside a room is a big issue and I think it should be added to the Purple Tier of Covid.
Activities that are allowed indoors are retail, salons, and personal care services. Personally I do not believe that nail salons are a super necessary service that needs to occur during a massive pandemic such as Covid. Barber shops are definitely more necessary than nail salons, but if we are to get rid of the virus then I think barber shops should close as well. Hopefully in the next few months we can get rid of the virus and go back to our past lives.
22 comments:
I feel this move is a good one considering our current situation. People have predicted coronavirus numbers to spike during the holiday seasons, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmastime. According to npr.org, even though public health officials warned Americans to limit their holiday festivities, millions of people traveled anyway and still had large indoor dinners. Additionally, as the Black Friday tradition continued this year, individuals still went out to secure deals, albeit with masks and in much lower numbers. However, this did lead to a surge in online shopping, where e-commerce sales were predicted to see a 34.9% increase from 2019 to 2020 (DigitalCommerce360). While people are still doing their best to follow health guidelines, I think that people are beginning to relax thinking that the situation is alleviating. However, this mentality makes it easy for the virus to heighten again, and before a vaccine is confirmed by the FDA, individuals should still exercise caution in this pandemic.
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/28/939629334/how-thanksgiving-travel-will-impact-coronavirus-numbers
https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/coronavirus-impact-online-retail/
I completely agree with both your post and Christina's comment that these restrictions were necessary, as cases are on the rise and don't show any signs of slowing down, especially with this holiday season where people are traveling to many different places. Air travel during this Thanksgiving week has hit an all time high (more than 1.1 million travelers) since the beginning of the spread to the US in March, many of which were college students who were returning to their homes for Thanksgiving. Although this is considered the most restrictive tier, it does't feel much like this, as state beaches and other public areas have remained packed this weekend, with many people ignoring the mask mandate. However, I'm glad that California is taking on more restrictive measures, like implementing the curfew from 10PM-5AM, closing nonessential indoor areas, and limiting capacity in outdoor areas. These nonessential organizations, however, are disappointed, with the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco stating that they had to postpone at least 20,000 tickets, serving as just one example of how businesses have been severely affected by this pandemic.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-air-travel-hit-post-march-peak-day-thanksgiving-n1249137
https://abc7news.com/health/sf-san-mateo-co-move-into-most-restrictive-purple-tier/8337937/
I wonder how effective the 1 week lockdown will be, considering how we're still able to eat at restaurants, go to museums, etc. Once the lockdown is over, people will continue to live like it was before the lockdown. However, this really shows how dangerous the corona virus is. If the virus were to have more defined and severe symptoms, nothing would be political, and I'd bet there'd be less casualties. Though somewhat unfeeling, it doesn't help that from half the people in the Trump administration that were diagnosed with covid haven't died yet. But like lucy said, the lockdown isn't really a restrictive measure, but more of a step.
I think creating a curfew for San Mateo is a very smart move, however, I am curious about how many people will actually follow this rule and how effective it will be. Also I am not sure if the curfew will help prevent big groups of people still seeing each other. In my opinion, dining at restaurants and going to salons is not essential, and doors should be closed until the cases start to die down. Although it is nice to eat at restaurants, it is also very dangerous because when you take off your mask, you are at a higher risk of spreading or catching the virus. With over a million cases in California, I really do not think the curfew will do much to help lower the amount of people catching the virus. This time of year, cases have spiked tremendously and it is not safe to have the doors open to everyday non-essentials like eating at restaurants or going to salons. However, there is still hope that cases will eventually start to lower because of the vaccines that have been made. I think if everyone wears a mask, socially distances, and washes their hands frequently then the number of cases will go down. Also if there are more restrictions put into place we will see cases go down as well.
I am continually disappointed in the world's urge to rush back to normality. I remember not long ago we were happy to be in the orange zone and we were proud at how responsible we were at keeping our cases down. But of course as more businesses open and people begin to eat out at restaurants, the number of cases will go up. I personally disagree with the sentiment that barber shops are more necessary than nail salons. Personally, I think that both are unnecessary contact for the purpose of cosmetic reasons, and both services you can do yourself at home. It's unfortunate that these small businesses have to continue their suffering, but for the sake of public health we should just stay closed until things get significantly better. We are just repeating the same cycle of staying home, getting the overall cases down, reopening businesses, bringing the number of cases up, and then going back into quarantine. No wonder we experience these spikes in cases or "waves." I hope that come early next year when people realize this has been going on for nearly a full year they will begin to realize that all we can do is stay safe while the vaccine is distributed.
I believe a curfew is a step in the direction considering where we currently are. A curfew will do no harm, however, I am curious to see if it yields any drastic effects. I do not believe a large portion of cases are contracted by seeing people in the middle of the night; They come from going to restaurants (especially indoor dining), gathering with large groups (especially during the holidays), etc- all things that happen throughout one's day. So while the curfew essentially has prospect at eliminating some preventable cases, there needs to be a more substantial change on top of this to truly be effective. So measures like closing indoors and, what are considered, nonessential businesses is pretty important. I understand that many businesses cannot afford to keep closing down or to experience these limits in consumerism, but this cycle of going in and out of lockdown with no substantial recovery will continue if the lockdowns are not done to full effectiveness. And, it's great if California can add restrictions and experience a large drop in cases, but that will be at risk if other states are not required to do the same. As long travel is open and continuing at high rates, what happens in another states can easily be brought here no matter what Californian residents have done. So while it can be hard to influence such large groups of people, taking these necessary steps of closing down is vital to protecting the health of everyone.
Personally, I dont believe the curfew will do much to stop the spread of covid. From personal experience, after 10 there are barely anyone outside which makes it extremely difficult to spread the virus. As someone who has a part time job, the problem is allowing outdoor seating where everyone is in close proximity without any protective covering. Additionally, there are plenty of people walking around without masks who dont truely understand the harm that they could be causing. I believe ways of solving those problems would be far more effective than just a curfew.
The curfew is a good attempt to help reduce the spread of COVID, but I think it'll be pretty ineffective. With so many public services remaining open and only just restricting some time in which people are allowed to go out, there will still be a lot of opportunities for the virus to spread. The reasoning for having lighter restrictions was due to the months of fatigue from lockdown. California Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly states that "this idea of COVID fatigue, COVID resentment is an important piece" to the reasoning of having looser restrictions. But because people are no longer interested and willing to maintain quarantine rules, it would be even more difficult to help reduce the number of cases. Furthermore, reinforces this curfew would be even more difficult. Sheriffs in many counties have already stated that they won't attempt to reinforce this curfew, with Curt Hagman, chairman of San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors states that "We're not going to be sitting out arresting people if they're out at 10:30 at night. We don't have the resources," further corroborating the notion that there will most definitely be a lack of enforcement with this curfew. Furthermore, with recents announcement of the vaccine, many people may feel inclined that with a vaccine coming out soon, there shouldn't be any need to set a curfew or follow it. So with the lack of restrictions and enforcement, I doubt that this curfew will do much in slowing the spread.
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/california-imposes-nighttime-covid-19-curfew-resist-74311247
Honestly, even if we’re purple these regulations don’t seem that different from the general reality in the past couple months. Also a curfew at a time that people aren’t generally out also doesn’t seem that effective as a whole. I understand that it’s a difficult issue finding a balance between the sustainability of small business and the wellbeing of the public. Either way it’s a step in the right direction which I’m still supportive of even if it doesn’t seem like much. In general, I find Covid to be interesting with how as time goes on, I feel it’s treated less seriously while ending up increasing in severity. I feel the main options to effectively hinder the spread of Covid is either through a publicly available vaccine or going back to lockdown and caution levels akin to Spring semester which is probably “Impossible” to return to considering the surge of travel this Thanksgiving which will probably be repeated around the holiday season if things stay the same. At least on the brightside the possibility of a vaccine is increasing as time passes.
I think that the implementation of the county-wide curfew is definitely a step forward. It is an attempt to reduce social interactions but I do not believe it would be extremely effective. Individuals need to make efforts in restraining their desires to go out, of course, I understand how this may be extremely difficult for the few of us. In order to eliminate all preventable cases, the county has to put harsher and well-enforced rules. Throughout Thanksgiving break, I have seen many people out shopping for Black Friday deals in tight spaces. I was taken on seeing this chaotic scene because so many people seemed to forget about the pandemic that is still occurring. Many stores and other corporations are not heavily enforcing their COVID-19 restrictions upon their customers and it seems like they are prioritizing their sales over the health of the people. I don't know how the stores such as Target or local malls may change their policies, but I hope that by stating that our county is back at the purple tier, people would be more cautious and stay home for Christmas.
Everyone in this comments section is saying that the curfew is a "step in the right direction." A step in what direction? Further restricting our liberties at little to no health benefit? Since when did COVID care what time of day it was? Any ways, every one is talking about purple tier like it's such a bad thing, but let's take a step back and figure out what purple their actually means. For a county to be put into Purple teir, they must get more than 7 new COVID cases a day per 100,000 residents. San Mateo county has a population of 700,000 residents, so for us to be in purple tier we are average over 50 new cases a day. That is ridiculously insignificant. People need to understand that these standards are just silly, and shutting down the lives of 700,000 people for such a small health risk is absolutely ridiculous. If only people could get their head straight.
Personally, I believe that this new curfew will not change the rate at which the virus spreads as most people are in contact with others before during the day, not after 10 PM. While I do see the reasoning behind the new curfew and restrictions, I believe that all it will do is create more panic. The people who abide by safety protocols will follow the new restrictions while many will ignore it. For these new restrictions to work you have to rely on the honesty of the community but it is very easy to lie and say you were out past ten pm because you were going to the grocery store. While I agree that something should be done, I am not completely sure whether this is the best way to accomplish that. Things will only be able to truly go back to normal when an effective vaccine is distributed to a majority of the population.
Responding to Michael's point, I think that the curfew is a necessary rule that does make a positive impact. Even though the average cases per day may seem "ridiculously insignificant," the lives of those people are significant. The average cases per day can say any type of number, small or large, but even one life is significant-- I can't imagine what the families of those who have lost a loved one from COVID-19 are going through. The idea that the numbers are insignificant is really a shame to hear because those people are suffering at some level. The curfew specifically is meant to prevent partying or unnecessary gatherings of those who don't properly and fully follow CDC guidelines. I think that the enforcement of these rules should be much stricter for them to truly be effective but in the end, it's a great effort to make the cases go down.
I agree with Lindsey. Our county moving into the purple tier is much more substantial than "50 cases a day." People are losing their loved ones, frontline healthcare workers are struggling as hospitals are filling up, all because mask wearing and social distancing has turned into a political debate. A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health observed 49 countries who put restrictions and lockdowns in place. Through a correlation test, the NIH found that these restrictions significantly decreased the amount of cases and deaths, and was an extremely effective way of controlling the spread of the virus (with their results/data at a 95% confidence interval). While the curfew mandated by Gavin Newsom will not be entirely effective in controlling the pandemic, it is certainly a step forward. People must begin to value their community over their own selfish interests to maintain control of the spread.
^ source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7293850/
Responding to Joshua, while it does seem useless that still, many outdoor activities are open, it's a step. 9 months into this pandemic, you need to balance effectiveness with compliance, sadly. The more restrictions you put, the more people will break them. The less restrictions you place, the less effective the restrictions will be. You can't really blame the San Mateo for making, at least, this curfew. The panicking stage is over, people are getting sick of staying at home. In all honesty, it'd be best if people panicked over the virus, instead of their businesses. However, in the perspective of a business owner, my business would be worth more than thousands of lives, unless related to me. Anyways, it's really the best thing San Mateo can do at the moment, and lets hope it decreases the number of elderly people who die before the vaccine is released.
We have seen a surge in cases during Thanksgiving as large gatherings took place during the holiday. Yet, with this in mind, the curfew is planned to end as early as December 12th. If the curfew was meant to make a difference, it should have been extended to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, during which the number of cases is most likely to rise. Thus, I think the curfew has a lot more potential to be effective. Like Max said, there is little enforcement of the curfew by the police to begin with. Having a curfew is better than nothing and may help prevent an increase in cases, but the main effect it will have is sending a message to people to stay safe and be cautious.
It's not surprising San Mateo has entered Purple Tier again. I think it's important to remember, though, that peoples' livelihoods are at stake every time a business is put on that list. For example, most nail salons are very small, family-owned businesses, so to close them would likely put many out of business. Considering this, I wish people would be more aware of this fact when regarding the issue of COVID. People, for instance, who refuse to wear masks, are not only exposing others to a deadly virus, but they are also increasing the chance of another lockdown, and thus, the furlough and unemployment of so many citizens. With this, I completely understand the need to place restrictions on different business/etc., I just wish people were more thoughtful of that every time they decide to go out.
I think curfews regarding covid-19 is a ridiculous idea; places are less crowded that late into the night, and most people aren't leaving their houses to go somewhere anyways. Anyone who is still outside near others are most likely exposed already if they were going to be. Covid-19 is not going to be any less infectious at 5:01 am than at 5 am. With regards to the sentiment in many of the comments here surrounding businesses, I have to disagree. Many businesses that are not allowed to open are small businesses, sustaining the livelihoods of many workers who may suffer gravely as a result, and since many big businesses are allowed to continue, it only inadvertently furthers economic division. Also, it makes that many are sick of these lockdowns; it has been 7 months and we are still in this situation, and when the same leaders who push for these policies don't even follow them themselves, such as Gavin Newsom attending a party at the French Laundry and SF Mayor London Breed attending the same restaurant the following day, it is only understandable that ordinary people will question whether or not these restrictions are really about safety.
Small numbers are insignificant and big numbers are significant. I don't understand why that is so hard to grasp. When 50 people are sick with a virus that 99 percent of people recover from, the damage is insignificant. We deal with balance between safety and freedom in every aspect of our life. If you drop the national speed limit down to 55, traffic fatality rates drop significantly. If you were to drop the speed limit down to 30 mph, than traffic fatality rates would drop even more. But at what point does it become too slow? And at what point are COVID restrictions too much? Following Lindsey's logic, we should drop the highway speed limit to 30mph because every life matters, no matter how insignificant the numbers are. Anyways, along with Joshuas point, we already have a social distancing deadlines in place. Those who choose to ignore them and go party with others are likely going to ignore the curfew as well.
Certainly, the Corona Virus is overblown.
I don't think Newsom's curfew is a good decision and I don't think it will be effective. The majority of people are not outside that late at night and those who choose to attend parties at those times should understand the risk they are putting themselves in. Yet, to enforce curfews to try to save people who intentionally go out knowing the risk is only hurting those who already follow guidelines and limiting more of their freedom. Additionally, there are a lot of questions surrounding who will enforce this curfew. According to USA news, there are a number of police departments including Orange county, Riverside, and San Bernardino County who already said that they will not be arresting people or fining them for breaking the curfew. It not only won't be effective, it also will harm many businesses even more. I feel bad for many businesses that are really struggling to survive with all these restrictions and I am doubtful of the fact that San Mateo restaurants "have been very successful" during this time. I don't believe businesses are doing just as well as before the pandemic. I don't think it is worth it to force restaurants and bars to close just to save a few people who aren't compliant with the regulations in the first place. I also agree with Barry's point about how our state officials are not following these policies themselves. I also found it hypocritical that Newsom was having a lavish dinner party at the French Laundry, spending a lot of money and living comfortably, while so many people are struggling so hard financially and are living very difficult lives in these times because they choose to obey these restrictions.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/11/20/whos-enforcing-states-curfew-and-can-you-sue-over-mask/6360986002/
Although I am for placing more restrictions on California, and America as a whole, I don't know how effective a curfew is, just because I feel people will still find a way to hang out with others during the day or do other things that the curfew won't stop. I definitely think that lowering occupancy in stores is a good idea and I think it's okay for outdoor activities to stay open (although some, like the Zoo, would fare well to have lower occupancy rates as well). I also think it would do us well to have stricter restrictions on a lot of things, more than what they are even right now. The sad truth is that no matter how many restrictions we have in place, they aren't going to be successful if people blatantly disregard them. If there could be fewer restrictions in place, but everyone followed them that would be ideal, but extremely unlikely to happen. I do think that balance is important, but there are ways to follow the restrictions and be safe and not be at risk of getting or infecting others with covid that don't involve one to give up "their liberties." Also, I think it's important to remember that 50 is not just a number, they're real people with real families that have been severely affected. Small numbers are significant due to how quickly they can add up and to how contagious Covid is. If those 50 people all came in contact with 4 other people (which is a relatively small number and chances are they likely came in contact with more), that 50 turns into 250 REAL quick.
Whatever the case though, I think we need to do all we can to get a grasp on this pandemic, and while I don't think a curfew is extremely effective, I do think that putting more restrictions in place is good. Having to wear a mask and stay outside and six feet away from people isn't the end of the world and there are still ways to "live a little" following those guidelines that don't result in others dying.
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