Those "screening questions" they ask are nothing more than security theater. At this point I assume that nowhere is safe.
I JUST got back from a non-urgent doctor visit to Scripps Outpatient Clinic in LaJolla.
There was drive thru CV19 testing in the parking lot (by appointment only).
For urgent care patients, they had folding chairs set out under tents outside, 6 feet apart (all were empty).
For me, I had to call from my car to check in, wait in my car in the parking lot, and then go in when they called me back. And they're not collecting co-pays on site - they're billing for them.
Masks required. Gloves optional. They asked the usual questions (Fever? Cough? Flu or Cold symptoms?) And then they asked if I have left the country in the last 14 days. WTF? The borders are closed and no one is traveling internationally!
Further to what @lovendures is saying - they SHOULD ask if I've been out of town to L.A. or AZ, or if I've been "in large outdoor crowds" (i.e., marches) in the last 14 days, or even if I've been to a bar or beach (crowded here already - out of staters are starting to flow in - no offense @lovendures!)
I was surprised they weren't taking temps - they said when I booked they would check temps of everyone with one of those no-touch thermometers or forehead strips or something. Nope. They should - because people DO lie.
As for me, I'm considering having a minor outpatient surgery that I have put off for over a decade - my right foot. I took pains to ask the surgeon which facility he does them in and whether any of the staff rotates in from the actual hospital, including ICU and COVID units. He had the right answer - NO, the ambulatory surgery staff do not cross paths with hospital staff.
I figure it's best to do it now, while my husband is around (3 weeks of non-weight-bearing followed by 6 of limited weight bearing), and while there are still some extra precautions in place and before the second pandemic wave hits. I had surgery at the same center a year ago, for my sinuses, and I was impressed with the facility and the staff and I have full confidence in them. Also, I figure the way things are going, I'm more at risk running errands than in an actual medical facility (in which there are no COVID patients).
THOUGHTS?
Here are my thoughts.
First, they didn't check your temp? Mine has been checked at each appointment so far. Odd.
I think I would do it now if it is important to you. California is just getting back to business. Arizona hospitals are thinking of once again canceling elective surgeries because of increased covid cases. California may follow suit soon if their numbers continue to increase. You likely will have staff being extra careful which I think you will appreciate.
Is this an out patient procedure? If not, does this matter to you?
It's definitely out-patient, in an ambulatory surgery center that is in a different building than where all inpatients, COVID or otherwise, would be.
It's an extreme way of putting myself in lockdown for a couple of months, LOL
I feel like we are definitely in a lull, or the "eye" of the pandemic storm. Lots of people are letting their guards down or telling themselves that we have this thing under control. And it's not just the caricature of Fox-watching minions who are falling into this trap. Lots of intelligent, well-read people believe we're in the clear. The arrival of summery weather and the approach of the Solstice can explain this new lax attitude - warm weather and lots of sunlight have powerful psychological effects. But, more importantly, dealing with fundamental discontinuities is not part of our globalized culture's "operating system." We function based on assumptions of linearity, and COVID-19 is an unknown variable that is throwing a wrench into society's machinery.
I'm reminded of the position of the Fool in the yes/no Tarot spread Jeanne did for the pandemic. The Fool showed up in the "yes" quadrant next to the Wheel of Fortune in response to the question of whether the pandemic would abate soon. I expect that by August or September, the collective alarm will start spiking again.
Yes, do the surgery now while things are relatively quiet.
My mother passed away a couple of months ago and my siblings and I are starting to worry that we will never be able to hold her memorial service the way she wanted. (We had a small private interment with just the handful of family members there who could get there by driving.) We are scattered coast to coast and some family members would need to fly to get to the service location.
Sorry, this is such a small thing compared to other issues being discussed.
This is not a small thing at all. This is a huge thing for your family. I don't know in which state your memorial will take place. Is it in a state where the Covid numbers are rising or falling? How do family members feel about getting on an airplane? In my church tradition, 40 day memorials and 1 year memorials are big deals. Would your family be willing to meet together for the year memorial and make that special?
I am so sorry you are trying to navigate this difficult time while the pandemic is here, it makes things so much more challenging. You might not be able to please everyone, but I truly believe your mom understands the challenges you face. It is ok to make adjustments. She loves you.
This is not a small thing at all. This is a huge thing for your family. I don't know in which state your memorial will take place. Is it in a state where the Covid numbers are rising or falling? How do family members feel about getting on an airplane? In my church tradition, 40 day memorials and 1 year memorials are big deals. Would your family be willing to meet together for the year memorial and make that special?
I am so sorry you are trying to navigate this difficult time while the pandemic is here, it makes things so much more challenging. You might not be able to please everyone, but I truly believe your mom understands the challenges you face. It is ok to make adjustments. She loves you.
Thank you for your kindness.
The family member who lives the furthest and would most need to fly is a sibling who is taking Covid extremely seriously for valid personal health-related reasons. I have no idea at what point if ever they will feel safe on an airplane.
Another sibling has expressed the thought that we have up to a year from the date of death, which I don't disagree with, but there is an expiration date on memorials or so it seems to me. We've already lost the emotional experience of gathering immediately after the loss. The longer this is postponed, the less it will feel "right," or normal. There are also timing issues with various family members and work obligations or school, which will get significantly more complicated if this is postponed beyond the summer as seems likely at this point.
I am confident my mother would expect us all to use the common sense she did her best to instill in us. She was a realist, and we all recognize that. We don't feel that we have betrayed her wishes; any dismay or sadness about postponing or altering her memorial is for us, not her. But that doesn't make it less sad.
@2ndfdl I’m so very sorry about the loss of your mom. No, it’s not a small thing no matter what’s going on in the world. This is a huge part of YOUR world and it’s good and necessary to acknowledge it as that. Hugs and peace to you and your family. We are in strange, hard times. Peace ☮️ ❤️
@lovendures I agree with you regarding the memorial. I work at a church and we have had to become creative because we want and need to give families their time to participate in the process of grieving and closure. We’ve had zoom meetings so distant relatives could attend. We’ve also had requests for private recordings and then a link to utube could be distributed to family members. There are ways to restrict access to just those who need it. Even when the restrictions loosen people may be hesitant to fly or gather in that way, especially if you have older family members and friends. Nothing will be as it was at least for a while. Our loved ones know we love them and that’s all that really matters. Their burdens are no longer, they are free. Peace ☮️
Please accept my sincere condolences on the loss of your mother and for the complications of mourning and remembrance in the time of a pandemic. Honestly, we are all hostage to Covid in some way and your comments about finding a practical solution resonate with me. It's an emotional time even if a few months have passed and in my own experience, well, it's hard to please everyone. May you find an acceptable way to honor and remember your mother in a logical time frame. I think most people are going to be avoiding plane travel for another year minimum and we do have ways to be together virtually with technology.
Thank you all for your kind condolences. For my mother as for many of the very old, death came as a blessing and a release from a body that no longer served her.
When we had the private interment, we facetimed in the missing siblings, and recorded it for sharing with other absent family members. My feeling is that having already done a virtual service, we will either have a full memorial when we can all be there, or it won’t take place at all.
To clarify, there is no struggle on my part or that of any of my siblings regarding making any decisions at the moment. The question mark is about what time in the future might be safe. At any rate I am not the primary decision maker (and I’m OK with that).
I wrote a month ago about a bad experience I had on Mother's Day at a local family owned gourmet grocery store chain. I had chosen this particular store because it was also my daughter's birthday and they could make a special cake she really wanted. They also had put in place great and thoughtful safety procedures so I felt good about going. Unfortunately things fell apart that day on their end and it was not a good experience. It was rather scary and they did not fully follow their covid procedures. The amount of people in the bakery area was massive, most customers chose not to wear masks making the situation worse.
Well, the director of operations called me this morning after I sent another email since I had not heard a response after my first 2. It was actually a really great call. He was mentally prepared to have a discussion with an angry customer and I thought perhaps I would be listening to a defensive company spokesperson. We were wrong, thankfully.
The reason I am writing this update is for a reminder to us all. Companies who care about their customers and employees during this pandemic are having a difficult time navigating the choppy waters. It is still a learning process. While this store was one of the first with plexiglass and masks for their employees, and VERY deep cleaning procedures, they still were overwhelmed by the crowds on Mother's Day in the bakery and floral departments. The amount of people in the store was within their set limits but they hadn't counted on the people congregating in one area. They have had to train their employees to ask customers to be aware of how close they are to others while waiting to be served, something uncomfortable and awkward for many employees to do. They are still making adjustments and learning from their mistakes. I empathized with him about how difficult it must be to adapt when there is no playbook and you need to get it right since lives are in your hands. I also told him how I appreciated the thought process they had behind their Covid procedures. We were able to have good dialogue because we both tried to understand the other persons perspective.
(It was even good to know the director of operations was on his hands and knees putting the social distancing signs on the floors of their stores. This tells me he is actively a part of the solution, not simply delegating things to others. It should be all hands on deck right now.) It was also good to know they are constantly monitoring the state of Covid in Arizona and are preparing to adapt as things continue to change.
So, choose your stores thoughtfully, ask wise questions, listen, observe and be kind. Now might just be an excellent time to let companies know what they are doing right too.
Presenting: Scene from a Partially Reopened State
Characters - Me, and a very close friend who is an artist, activist, teacher and mom
Scene - different days during the pandemic, on and off line
I brought my friends loquats from my tree, and she apologetically declined to open her front gate, let alone her door, but it was not a problem.
"I'm sorry, I'm not opening the gate to anyone."
I noticed she has been participating in BLM protest marches every day all week. She's not high risk and has not been ill, so I thanked her for representing, even though I have concerns about contagion.
"Defund the police!!"
Then today I notice she is going to the beach, unmasked.
"Summer is here! Ready for the beach!"
* FACE PALM *
Foot Surgery Update: NOPE
Turns out the surgeon wants 2 things I can't do:
1. Put permanent hardware in the bones of my feet (this doesn't result in good outcomes for dancers anyway, I researched it). In my family we have a bad track record with stuff like that - always complications, always more pain, not less. In 2012 I declined spinal fusion for the same reasons and found a surgeon who was willing to try something way less invasive with no hardware (which has worked quite well).
2. Wanted to book me for this month BUT wanted full medical clearance before that, and my primary doc that's local is not seeing patients in person (even though she is in a different, huge medical organization), sot he EKG and labs can't be done in time.
So I'll do more research, and try to find an orthopedic foot surgeon or more likely a DPM who has tools in their kit other than the "when in doubt throw some metal parts at it" approach. And it can wait til 2021, it just means I have to completely give up my beloved Flamenco dancing and possibly Tap...
Sorry for another semi-off-topic entry here, but the fact that primaries won't do medical clearances in person for routine surgeries due to CV19 is probably for the best. Cases are increasing here in CA already, so the "Eye of the Storm" that @Coyote mentioned may already be passing more quickly than we thought.
@laura-f really hoping you find a way to get your foot fixed. I hate the thought of having to give up dancing.
Houston today has moved into "orange alert", which is defined as "significant CV-19 risk", and advises people to "minimize ALL contact". The next level is Red, which is "severe", and would mean that everyone should stay home.
Also, T is in Texas, having a fundraiser that costs $500,000 per couple to attend. So, yeah, Orange Alert.
The good news is I don't have to give up ALL dance - just flamenco for now, possibly tap... modern I can keep doing, there's lots of room for accommodations to protect that foot, which in flamenco is impossible. All that stomping... OLÉ!
I know AZ is bad, and many Arizonans are starting to flood into San Diego for beach getaways. So I'm hunkered down as much as possible. Since early March, this morning was the first time I felt bored, like I had run out of stuff to do, but I'm finding new projects.
Maybe if enough people get sick fast enough (which is terrible to think about), we'll all go back on lockdown, which is safer IMHO.
Meanwhile, across the South and West, coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are on the rise. In Texas, more than 2,100 people in the state were hospitalized with covid-19 as of Friday, according to state data tracked by The Washington Post, and intensive care units are reportedly at 88 percent capacity in the Houston area. Arkansas reported 731 new cases, the largest since the pandemic began. And in North Carolina, cases topped 40,000 after its highest single-day increase.
From the Arizona Republic:
The day after Gov. Doug Ducey downplayed Arizona's recent spikes in daily COVID-19 cases and ongoing increases in hospitalizations and deaths, the state's numbers continued to climb on Friday, with a record high for new cases reported and a record high for inpatient hospitalizations.
Friday saw 1,654 new cases, the most new cases reported in one day.
Inpatient hospitalizations for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 hit its highest number on Thursday, with 1,336 hospitalizations, up from the previous high of 1,291 hospitalizations on Wednesday. Emergency department visits for patients with suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 also reached its highest level on Thursday with 915 patients, far surpassing the next highest of 848 patients on both Monday and Wednesday.
Concerns grow as China goes into Covid war mode.
“We would like to warn everyone not to drop their guard even for a second in epidemic prevention control: we must be prepared for a prolonged fight with the virus,” Xu Hejian, a spokesman for the Beijing municipal government, said at a news conference Saturday.
...Nine kindergartens and elementary schools around Xinfadi were ordered to close, and apartment complexes near the market were sealed off and movement severely restricted.
I also read today that the mutated Covid-19 virus which is prevalent in the US and Europe is easier to catch than the original one in China. I wonder if China is now dealing with a mutated virus. Among other places, the virus was found on a cutting board at the market used for chopping imported fresh salmon and now ALL fresh salmon in the entire city of Beijing has been destroyed.
And in my state, we can get barely 50% of our citizens to swear a mask with the pandemic raging and growing. Our Governor will not wear a mask either. Our Arizona Government is not encouraging people too social distance or wear masks when providing information on how to stay safe during the pandemic.