An Update from Sores and Boils Alley

How are things in the Land of Steady Habits (that’s right, we’ve been swindling you since Colonial times)?

Thank you for asking. Seriously.

My Oximeter came in and my base line is between 94 and 98% which is good enough for the most part given my underlying Anemia. I feel much more confident about my ability to get help if I need it now that I can tell the difference between Anxiety driven Hypochondria and actually being sick.

Though I understand the Headaches are life changing and hard to miss.

Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Wear a Mask and Gloves if only as a courtesy to others and STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY PERSONAL SPACE!

Actually I have personal space issues unrelated to the current conditions.

My Sister the Health Insurance worker dropped by for a visit. Second time she’s been out of her house since the Ides. She’s feeling ok too, very, very busy.

My Nephew still has a job which I find rather surprising since the Company where he works has been going out of business for two or three years now.

Richard and Emily have failed to kill each other yet and my Brother still has his job which is another surprise since he works for a Government sub-contractor and a lot of contracts have been canceled.

My personal observation is that no one is anxious to re-open. Crowds are sparse and many restaurants and other storefronts are still shuttered. Supermarkets? I’ve been to a few with mixed results, they still have spot shortages of odd items which is usually what I want. That’s why I was not at all surprised by this-

Lamont surprised at lukewarm reopening of retail, restaurants in coronavirus pandemic
By Ken Dixon, Connecticut Post
Thursday, May 21, 2020

Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday that flexibility will be the key to the state’s deliberate, summer-long reopening process, and depending on how the coronavirus proceeds – along with Connecticut’s reaction to its unfolding freedoms – he may slow down or speed up future segments of the public recovery.

While Lamont admitted surprise – during a late-morning Hearst Connecticut Media webinar – at how small the response was to retail and restaurant openings on Wednesday, he said that consumers and corporations alike need to establish some confidence. “Slow and steady is fine with me,” Lamont said.

“I think that the people of Connecticut have been cautious,” the governor said, noting that a month ago, Georgia allowed many businesses to reopen, and customers there remain reluctant as well.

“It’s not like the governors are closing down the economy,” Lamont said. “The consumers have to feel a sense of confidence before they go back. That’s why, for example, maybe they’re going to walk by the restaurant once or twice and see if the waiters are wearing masks and gloves. I feel like the restaurants have done a very good job. I think they’ll slowly be getting back to those restaurants and stores, not overnight.”

David Lewis, CEO of OperationsInc, a Norwalk-based human resources outsourcing and consulting company, said that many fewer people have returned to offices and most continue to work remotely from home, as they have since mid-March.

Judith Roll, the owner of Tabouli Grill and Judy’s Bar & Kitchen in Stamford, said Wednesday’s outdoor dining-only reopening was quiet at her two restaurants.

“Look, COVID is changing everyday,” Lamont told the webinar audience. “It is fast-moving. I wish I could tell you exactly what the world is going to look like in August, so you could plan on it accordingly.” He said “hundreds and hundreds” of hair salon owners and workers told him they were unprepared to reopen this week, so he pushed back hair-care shops until June 1.

The governor said he’d keep an open mind on possibly allowing summer sleep-away camps to open in July, despite the current plan to let only day camps convene at the end of June.

“A key piece of that is testing,” Lamont said. “We can test everybody going into that camp, because then they’re in residence, in a tent and they’re all over each other. We’re going to cautiously be looking at that and give you guidance in a couple of weeks.” He said there’s still “a chance” they may be allowed to open this summer.

“A month is a lifetime in COVID years,” Lamont said during the webinar, hosted by Columnist Dan Haar. Lamont called the reopening guidelines provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “incredibly vague.”

Hurray for local investigative reporting.

I’ve met Ken Dixon, he’s a nice enough guy. When he started his beat was Town Meetings and High School Sports.