Are you still socially distancing?

[mommyoffive]

Is anyone still socially distancing?

How are you distancing?  With other families?  Going to work?  Activities?

How is your state or city doing?  

 

 

I feel like we are the only family around us who are doing it.  Our neighbors never seemed to do it even with stay at home orders all kids were play with each other.   Adults were socially acting the same.   Life has never looked different.    We are in a state with rising numbers.   We just started a state wide mask order yesterday. 

[Caraway]

We haven't left our home (except to walk the dog) since the beginning of March.  Our neighbors have daily pool parties.   My rage is overwhelming.

[Junie]

We are absolutely still social distancing.  I see more need for it now than at the beginning.

Dh is teleworking and we are only leaving the house for necessities and doctor's appointments.

We are also not allowing anyone into our home unless it is unavoidable.  (For instance, we just had two guys come deliver our new refrigerator and haul away the broken one.)

 

[Sneezyone]

12 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Is anyone still socially distancing?

How are you distancing?  With other families?  Going to work?  Activities?

How is your state or city doing?  

 

 

I feel like we are the only family around us who are doing it.  Our neighbors never seemed to do it even with stay at home orders all kids were play with each other.   Adults were socially acting the same.   Life has never looked different.    We are in a state with rising numbers.   We just started a state wide mask order yesterday. 

Yep. I go to the grocery store 1x week max. Usually, all is delivered. My kids will school online this year with home-based science labs.  DD will have a drivers permit test at the end of the month (her one big outing). No social gatherings. Necessities only. Cases are rising in my area such that the Gov. threatened a new shutdown. The parking lot at a local bar was packed when I drove to the post office (to drop a letter in the drive thru mailbox) yesterday.

[Pen]

Physically distancing, yes. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Of course. I talk with neighbors at a distance. I talk to friends and family on the telephone. We went to one bbq where I wore a mask and distanced but no one else was and I deeply regret it. I only want to be around responsible people right now. 
 

I do shopping and other errands. I go to doctors and physical therapy. Everyone is masked and is careful. 

[elegantlion]

We are still socially distancing. I still see my mom and son, my boyfriend's mother lives right next door, so we see her almost every day. Other than that, it's short trips to the grocery or drug store. We have not socialized with others since March. I've eaten out once and did not feel comfortable with the restaurant's set up. We get take out about once a week. He is back to work, but I'm working from home this semester. 

[Pawz4me]

We go out (masked) to do essential errands and to pick up takeout (a couple of times a week).

We visit MIL once a week, keeping our distance.

We're getting haircuts and routine medical/dental care.

Otherwise we're staying home.

But most people in our circle aren't really. They're shopping for entertainment, going out to eat, etc.

[bolt.]

We are still distancing:/

- Essential and near-essential shopping only. Masked. Plus take-out food. (Okay, a few less-than-essential errands too.) And the library. Libraries are near-essential, right?

- Still teleworking.

- Doctors visits as usual, with masks and precautions

- Friends outdoors only: 6 feet without masks, or 3 feet with masks, no touching, limit shared objects. (Occasionally indoors with masks, if needed.)

- One grandparent in-bubbled (no precautions, kids sleeping over) due to existential loneliness that was a threat to her well-being.

I'm in Canada. My city is doing well compared to America, but rising steadily in a way that is concerning from our own perspective. 10% of all active cases in Canada are in my city, according to one recent report. Our city has a local mask mandate (public transit and indoor spaces, except schools, childcare, while exercising) but there is not a province-wide mandate. School is expected full time Sept 1, with masks heavily encouraged.

Edited August 2, 2020 by bolt.

[catz]

Yes.  I've been to ONE store since March and that  was this week.  We've been using curbside pick up and delivery liberally.  I walk outdoors almost daily.  DH is working at home.  Teens are at home doing online classes and camps.   I've  met up with my mom a couple times outdoors.  My husband goes  and helps his father (outdoors mostly/masked too) since his mother died in April.  We went to a  10 person outdoor funeral.  My husband bikes and has met people outdoors for biking/mountain biking.  I did meet  a friend at a park once and we chatted outdoors  from a distance.  

My  son is in theory leaving for college in 2 weeks.   All his classes are online but he signed the lease on an apartment prior to covid days. Not convinced he will stay super long.  He's in an extracurricular highly committed performing group, waiting to hear what their protocols are because  his first 2 weeks is supposed to be a production camp for that.   

Edited August 2, 2020 by FuzzyCatz

[historically accurate]

We look very locked down compared to others in my area, but sometimes I think it's too optimistic.

Medical appointments - yep, in person mostly, since beginning of June. 

Activities: One kid tried their TKD class, and found out class was neither fully masked nor socially distanced, so we haven't been back. We've played pickleball a few times as a family. Kids are allowed to talk to neighbor kids, and we got some stuff they can do socially distanced - my kids mask about 75% of the time, the other kids do not mask at all. No haircuts (I've gotten pretty good at haircutting), no restaurants (take out a few times a month).

Library - our splurge! In person weekly about 10-15 minutes (3 kids, my brother, and I all go) - we do utilize the hold process a lot to lower our time there, but it's the highlight of the week.

Get togethers - my brother came and stayed with us for 2 days while landlord repaired his AC (we mask with him except for the 2 days he stayed here). I stayed at MIL's after a surgery for a week (we no longer mask around her as she has chosen that). We've gone and sat on aunt's porch for a masked, socially distanced chat 2x since beginning of June. I've sat on neighbor's porch about 10 feet away without a mask talking to her (she can't hear anything on a good day, she can't hear me through a mask at all) a couple of times.

Errands - I try to do curbside or online only, but I am entering a store about 1-2x per week on average when online failed me and I need to return or I need something right now. I've sold a bunch of curriculum this past month and met with local people in parking lots to sell and/or buy as well as gone to the Post Office to mail.

Work - DH goes to his office/plant about 2x per week on average. He is a help desk guy, so sometimes he has to go in to repair or install something in person. He's been doing a lot of Saturday mornings in order to install when only a few people are in the building. 

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by beckyjo

[AmandaVT]

Mostly - my mom is in our safe bubble so we see her inside. DS has one friend that he sees in person. DS is the only one that friend sees as well. DH and I are still working remote, but I'm due to go back in 8 days, so we'll have to go back to seeing no one at that point. 

[Liz CA]

I go to work and home and very little else mostly because of my crazy work schedule right now. When I do go out to a store (was at a hardware store yesterday, how exciting it was) we usually wear masks. At work we are distanced in our offices anyway so we don't wear masks at our desks or in the office room but wear masks when going to common areas like the copy machine area or to clinical meetings weekly where we sit farther apart than we used to.

[twovetteslater]

Yes, we're still social distancing. My husband is an essential worker, still going to work, doesn't leave the house without minimum two masks and two small bottles of hand sanitizer. We go to the grocery store as little as possible and only check our P.O. box 2-3 times a week. Washing of the hands constantly and bleach-spraying everything on a regular basis. I have a pre-existing health condition. 

My NFH (LPN) continues with her 2-3 day a week mask-free garage sale in addition to having people over to their house 5-7 days a week. Some family, some not. No masks ever.

Edited August 7, 2020 by twovetteslater

[hjffkj]

We are not socially distancing with the people we have decided to start hanging out with again.  Those people are our families and two other families.  We have those people in our house and over for swimming multiple times a week if they're available.  We've had an overnight with my brother's kids.  We feel this is safe and a comfortable amount of exposure since we stopped hanging out with neighbor kids because their exposure surpassed our comfort level (doing sports camps, day camps, beach trips every weekend, and going out basically daily.)  We are not going out anywhere that isn't necessary and neither are the families we are hanging out with (other than our house.)  Once school starts up and 2 of those families have their kids in school we will no longer be inviting them over.  

We aren't seeing other friends that we would normally see regularly because I am not interested in trying to wrangle the youngest kids in order to socially distance.  I miss them all dearly but it just isn't worth the effort so we stay connected electronically and via mail.

 

Adding that dh is still working from home so we don't have all that exposure to worry about. 

Edited August 2, 2020 by hjffkj

[Innisfree]

18 minutes ago, Junie said:

We are absolutely still social distancing.  I see more need for it now than at the beginning.

This.

Eta: We have gone to the store a few times, gone to a few essential appointments. We also had a week at a state park cabin, where we managed to avoid others pretty successfully. No dining out, no public restrooms. We have gone on drives, and gone hiking in local areas. 

Dh has had to return to work in his public contact job, where they're doing their best to socially distance. I am helplessly furious at the careless behavior people expose him to.

Dd1 will soon be off to college, where she is required to live in the dorm. Fingers crossed. Dd2 has elected to do virtual school.

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by Innisfree

[Spryte]

We are. I think moving into the fall, it will be more important than ever.

DH works from home.  We are staying on our property, other than necessary medical appts (with masks, etc). Kids are on summer break, but acting classes, etc have been via Zoom, and we always homeschool, but classes that we would do out of the house have been changed.

Groceries and necessities are delivered.

We miss our family and friends, we miss going out to museums and movies.  I desperately miss our hair stylist - she comes to our house, but we have not seen her since Feb.  

Edited August 2, 2020 by Spryte

[MEmama]

Yes.

Everyone we know is doing very little socialising at all.

The state numbers are very low compared to almost all the other states and literally everyone I know is working hard to help keep it that way. I don’t know what the rest of the state looks like (I suspect it varies along the usual lines) but my community is taking this very, very seriously.  

[Joker]

For the most part. None of us work outside the home. We usually do grocery pick up to avoid going inside. Sometimes we need to go in person but it’s rare and we mask. We’ve done zero non grocery shopping in person and no eating in restaurants. We do take out and drive thru though.

I did have a few days in the hospital with my mom and a few weeks of caring for her and driving her to appointments. It wasn’t an option since I’m the only one nearby to help. We’re now back to visiting only outside.

Dd had a friend stay a couple of nights last month but it was due to a bad home situation and I felt it was necessary.

Ds gets together with a small group of friends and did have a gathering last night. There were six of them and they all have agreed to be super careful while apart so they can keep getting together.

So, we’re a little more relaxed than in the beginning but we’re still locked down way more than those around us and our families. 

[Guest]

Yes, but I'm scheduled to start teaching in person for my younger students again starting August 17. Our exposure will go way up as a result, although I have good masks  and face shields and students are required to mask.

 

DD has her learners permit, so she is getting a lot of practice doing curbside pickup :). We are doing church online, our homeschool science club is having guest speakers via ZOOM, and DD's classes for summer were all online. She is doing a virtual cheer mascot camp this coming week. We have seen people socially, once or twice, always outdoors with masks at at least a 6 foot distance, but stopped that in early July when numbers started to increase here quite a bit.

[wendyroo]

Yes, very much so.

DH has been working from home since March and neither of us expect him to go back into work until spring of '21 at the earliest.
The kids never leave the house except for walks, bike rides, nature hikes, etc.
We are limiting grocery runs to every 3ish weeks, and shopping at times the stores are mostly empty.
We are using curbside pick up as often as possible, including picking up hold books at the library.
We are not eating in restaurants, but are picking up food occasionally.
One ABA therapist comes into our home each weekday morning; she wears a mask and face shield.
We also occasionally see my parents who are staying as isolated as we are.
Otherwise, no socializing at all - no friends, no playgrounds, no busy parks, only chatting with neighbors across the street or yard, etc.
Some of the kids' fall classes may be meeting face to face in the fall, but we will not be participating in any of them.
We are no longer sanitizing groceries or mail, but we are careful to wash hands after handling them, especially before touching faces.
Whenever we cannot avoid being near other people (stores and doctors), we always wear masks.
For medical appointments the kids wear masks as well, and have been taught how to do so properly to protect themselves and others.

[alisoncooks]

Not as much as most people on this forum...but more than most people I know!

[happi duck]

Yes, though I decided to get groceries weekly because the three week trips were stressful to me.  I am going to try for 10 days now because numbers are going up.

[hjffkj]

4 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

Not as much as most people on this forum...but more than most people I know!

 

that really is a great answer.  My level of comfort is significantly higher than most people on this forum it seems. But compared to many people I know in real life we are still too cautious. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Yes! Everyone has been home since early March. Dh shops for us weekly. I have been out for medical appointments and a handful of shopping things. I went to a shoe store where everyone was masked, we were the only customers, the front door was open...to get fitted for shoes. We go for socially distanced hikes or trips to the beach. I have seen friends in person twice—once we talked from 15 feet away (she in her car, me from my doorstep), and a second time when my friend and neighbor came to tell me she was moving. We sat on my back deck 10’ apart, masked. 
 

[Ottakee]

Ish.

I meet up with friends for outdoor walks, kayaking, etc 

We have had workers and friends in and out of our house since April when our finished basement flooded.  Our covid risk is less than the risk of mold issues of not getting the work done.

I have had my daughter and son in law over almost weekly and me to their house.  They have special needs and need the support.....esp now that son in law broke his leg and needed surgery....that meant in home PT, runs for wheelchairs, bandaging, etc.

I have been shopping along as well...for me, for a 90 year old lady, for my disabled mom, etc.  Curbside pick up wasn't really available on our area early on.   I mask up, wash my hands, and shop on.

Medical appointments....more than ever during COVID.  I had a cancer scare that needed testing, biopsy, treatments, Ultrasound, blood tests, etc.  Then I tore the meniscus in my knee...more doctors, and now twice a week PT....all of these masked, etc.

So basically, we wear masks when Inside stores and businesses, socially distance outside, and avoid large group gatherings.

My reality is, if I don't help others and make these runs, they will suffer.  We are careful and do what needs to be done.

We also helped out with food bank distribution all along and I deliver food packages once a week....and just set them on their front steps and text that I dropped it off.

We have even done an in person dining at a local pizza place....the only ones eat in, masks till we sat down, etc.  

[73349]

Yes.

Edited October 2, 2020 by Carolina Wren

[Joker]

20 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

Not as much as most people on this forum...but more than most people I know!

This is a perfect answer!

I wrote so much but I think this board is starting to make me feel like I have to defend myself. 🙃

[Loowit]

We are still in a fairly (supposed to be) locked down area.  We are only supposed to see 5 people outside our household a week.  We have stuck to that as much as we can.  We mostly spend  time with my parents and my sister.  We have now seen DH's parents after they got back from a big trip and were home for a couple weeks.

DH and DD both work from home.  DD has two jobs, and she is on an extended leave from one of them because she works in homes and the family is not following the phase guidelines.  She was pretty sad about it because the kid she was working with has been through a lot of specialist and DD had been the longest one.  It was a very hard decision for her.

We do curbside pick up as much as we can.  We have done a few Home Depot trips and always wear masks. Today I am taking DD to the pet store to replace her Betta that died last night.  She has severe anxiety and the pandemic has been really hard on her. Her fish was one of her de-stressors and so we are going to brave the pet store to get her a new one.

Our numbers in our area are still low, but on the rise.  We have also had 5 deaths in the last week or so; the first in our county.

Medical appointments are online when we can.

[mom2scouts]

We are still distancing, but slightly less than we were in March when we had NO outside contact other than dh going for a weekly grocery trip. We homeschool and dh works at home, but we are allowing our teens to attend a few carefully chosen activities where we feel adequate precautions are being taken and DD has seen two friends. We're not going to restaurants, church, pools,  or sporting events and we all wear masks when in public areas.

[Pam in CT]

Yes. Since March 10, my last big IRL provisioning, I've been in precisely one store one time, for one unavoidable errand. We've learned to manage with pantry-stuff shipped and 1x/2 weeks deliveries of fresh stuff.  My daughter, bless her, has become quite competent at cutting and, er, "highlighting" hair.  I do a weekly ZOOM tea with my mother and grown daughter; a weekly ZOOM Boggle game with my aunt, cousin and young nephew. Our medications are delivered. When we need something irregular, we go to heroic lengths to do curbside, or we wait. My synagogue is still streaming services and doing Torah study by ZOOM, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  My book groups and civic organizations are also all meeting by ZOOM... which once we got past the learning curves, is actually working pretty well.

But as NY/New England's numbers have come down, we've slowly started to ease from complete lockdown. Both my husband and daughter have gone to non-urgent medical appointments. We've camped overnight in my mother's senior-residence parking lot so as to have outdoors, distanced visits with her. We've started doing delivery dinner one night a week. We've met up with NYC relatives in Central Park. We've met up a few times with my brother & family at my aunt & uncle's lake house for outdoors, distanced, BYOpicnic afternoons. We've had a handful of folks over for distanced patio visits. We've gone out on day sails. My daughter meets up with friends for outdoor distanced visits, bike rides, beach. A few nights ago we went to see dear friends who've spent their time constructing a backyard "COVID Corner," a massive firepit/gravel patio with 12 distantly-spaced Adirondack chairs and a movie projection screen hanging off their deck rail. We brought our own picnic, caught up around the fire until the sun fully set, then watched Stop Making Sense... and it was *awesome.*  We've invested in a few pop-up canopies and outdoor heaters in anticipation of distanced visiting in less-good weather.

ETA and we mask, everywhere there is contact with anyone outside the family.

My motto for the upcoming season is New Nearly Normal. The Old Normal isn't an option on the table, but figuring out how to get to a New Nearly Normal that we can sustain for the long haul ahead of us, that is the goal.

Edited August 2, 2020 by Pam in CT

[2squared]

1 hour ago, alisoncooks said:

Not as much as most people on this forum...but more than most people I know!

This is too. We have moved into the socially responsible stage while most people I know are back to normal. We are not at SIP in our area. We live very rurally in MN. 

i am working from home FT. Dh is mostly working from home for his civilian job, but he has been in person for his military job. Dh is attending church, kids and and I are not. My two oldest are working (outdoor lifeguards and golf course). Kids have been participating in all their available activities - baseball, softball, football, wrestling. I sit far away from all the crowds at their games. Kids have their closest friends over, but those are kids in their activities anyway. We are shopping locally and online. All of them are headed back to FT F2F school along with the rest of our community, including college freshman in the dorms. 

Kids and I flew to GA for a week on the beach last month. We had a private beach house and kept our distance while participating in only outside activities, but we noted the drinking crowds in other areas of the island. 

Dh and oldest ds are at a wrestling tournament today in South Dakota. They went loaded up with masks and sanitizer, and I am sure they are distancing as much as possible. Ds is in a hard spot. He’s a state ranked wrestler, and he has attracted college scouts. He has limited time to accomplish his next level goals, which I know includes dreams of bigger college teams looking at him. 

Dd mentioned back to school shopping yesterday. She’s thinking the mall like usual, but that won’t be happening. 

[SeaConquest]

Yes and no.

We own our own marine business, so my husband is out in the world everyday. But, he is almost always masked and tries to physically distance. I am still concerned because he enjoys time on the water and I know he lets his guard down around his buddies when they are hanging out on boats. 

I don't really ever go into stores, except to grab takeout for lunch. Most everything else is delivered, including groceries. The kids have been going to summer camp, but it is all outdoors, they are taking precautions (including masks), and they haven't had any issues all summer. I've been doing nursing clinicals and have also felt reasonably safe with good PPE and hand hygiene. I have also stayed away from any aerosolizing procedures. The kids and I have gone to doctor's appointments, with masks obvs.

We've only seen friends outside -- beaches, parks, pools, next week we are going horseback riding with one friend for my youngest's bday. We haven't had any community outbreaks in San Diego in outdoor settings, even during the protests (on the right and the left). So, I am pretty comfortable with outdoor activities, in the sunshine, with the ocean breeze -- especially because we are normally wearing masks and trying to keep our distance on top of it. I really think it is the indoor, recirculated air that is the bigger issue, so I try to stay away from being indoors with anyone outside of our family unless there is good PPE involved (a la a healthcare setting), or it is a very short duration and everyone is masked. I won't go places where people are indoors unmasked (everyone is supposed to be masked inside businesses in San Diego, so if there is lax enforcement, I will either say something or leave). 

So basically, outside or home is my preference.

  

[JennyD]

Yes.  Grocery delivery isn't really an option where we are, so I shop in person every couple of days, but other than that we either stay home or go to outdoor spaces where we can keep far away from other people. No in-person socializing, religious services, classes, etc.   Lots of people around me just going about their usual business, but whatever.  We are not catching this &%^$# virus if I can help it.

 

 

[Wheres Toto]

We had one social occasion with two other families, outside at our lake, distanced with masks if anyone got closer.    Other than that we see my mom, my oldest daughter, and dh sees his mom.   We've had a mask order since March or April so all shopping, doctors appointments, etc are mandatory masking.  

Our numbers were looking really good but they are going back up again because people are being stupid and throwing parties.

[Bootsie]

In the past week I:

• went to the grocery store--the first time in 10 days and I have only shopped at that one store for the past two months
• played golf with DH--did not go into the club house or have contact with any other people
• got a slushie at the Sonic drive-through after playing golf
• have gone on walks with the dog
• picked up DH from car repair shop where he was dropping his car for some maintenance (did not go inside shop)
• went through McDonald's drivethrough for a milk shake

DH has done about the same; he didn't go to the grocery store, but he made a quick trip into the hardware store yesterday.

I am working from home right now and our church is not open yet.  

DS was taking an online summer class, but is working as a valet, so he has been out and has visited with a few friends.

[cintinative]

I am struggling with this, for many of the reasons the OP mentioned. Really I don't know anyone who is socially distancing, depending on how you define it.  Most of my friends are going to church (there is masking, spacing, etc.). Most are meeting up with a friend or two here or there at the park, etc. 

ETA: Some friends are going to Kings Island, going to restaurants, etc. but they are not people we have seen IRL recently.

This last week I feel like I let a lot of my caution go and I am concerned.  The boys had a "movie" thing at church which ended up moving indoors (with masking and distancing). There were probably 15 people there.  They went to the park with a friend for a walk. Wednesday a friend came over. We masked, he didn't. We were outside for maybe half the time.  We have not had anyone else inside our house but my parents and that was only once.  Friday I met up with two friends and we social distanced on her porch, wearing masks.  Of all of these, the only one I am pretty confident was okay was Friday.  

I do go to the grocery (masked) and have gone into stores for specific items (masked). We do not go to church presently.

We go to parks with the dog.  We go for walks in the subdivision.

We have been to doctor's appointments and orthodontist appointments.  We have gotten takeout a few times. My husband probably does a couple times a week. 

A relative of mine got married Friday night and I decided that my husband and I would not go to the ceremony (we already said no to the reception) because I wasn't sure about masking.  There is a mandate for the state, but I figured they wouldn't enforce it, and the bridal party was huge.  It seems (from FB pictures) almost no one masked.  My dad was there, which worries me.

I feel like I am in this weird space where I really want to connect with people, but there are very limited ways in which we can do that where I feel safe. And this last week I feel like we did some risky things, and I don't know what will come of it.  

My SIL and brother and south FL have basically rarely left their house since March.  They do grocery pick up or order online.  The only people they have seen other than neighbors while walking their dog are her parents and us (we went to visit). 

Edited August 2, 2020 by cintinative

[Terabith]

We do fairly normal commerce, but masked.  Grocery store once a week usually, take out from restaurants.  I went to Walmart with my daughter to pick up her glasses.  I go to Pet Smart once every 3 weeks or so to pick up cat food.  I've gone to Target a couple times for various things in the last few months.  I'm not going to the mall or anything, and we try to keep trips fairly minimal, but we're not completely avoiding stuff.  

We've had a few medical appointments.  I had an ultrasound and a gyn appointment; my youngest and husband did have their eyes checked at the optometrist.  I've been to the chiropractor.  

We see my in laws, who are part of our "bubble," and we have a friend with some medical issues who has been housebound for a month or so (and is currently in the hospital), and I have seen him a few times.  (I bring him groceries, took him to the doctor and ER, etc.)  My husband and another friend wore masks and cleaned his apartment to try to make it safer for when he returns.  Hauled out trash and stuff.

My youngest child has seen small groups of friends whose families are very careful three times, mostly outdoors, masked, etc.  She didn't for a long time, but if we're going to be doing this for years, we need some way to maintain mental health, and this seems like reasonable compromise.  

The current plan is for oldest child to go to small, private school in person one week on/ one week virtual, with 30-35 kids on campus each week.  That starts after Labor Day.

We go for walks in a deserted parking lot at night when it dips below 90 degrees.  

We have had outdoor services at church every other week, and we've gone sometimes.  But that's outdoors; everyone wears masks and stays more like 10-12 feet away from everyone else.  

We have allowed I think two repair people in our house since this started.  A toilet linked and caused the basement bathroom ceiling to collapse, so a plumber came in.  And the a/c repair guy came in.  We may have someone fix the ceiling.  That interaction actually is what makes me the most nervous.  

We're not a hot spot, but numbers are creeping up in our area.  We're trying to be careful but also trying to figure out ways to live with this long term.  

I feel like reading this that I'm incredibly risky but we are far more cautious than most people we know in real life.  (My youngest's friends' families are probably the most similar to us in risk tolerance.)

Edited August 2, 2020 by Terabith
people who came into our house

[teachermom2834]

1 hour ago, alisoncooks said:

Not as much as most people on this forum...but more than most people I know!

THIS!!

I feel like I'm just running around town willy nilly sucking in all the germs when I read about how others on this forum are living. But I feel like we are being SUPER cautious compared to those in our real life. We pretty much just stay home but we are doing these things:

-dh works from home but has regular doctors appointments and physical therapy which he attends masked the entire time

-17 yo ds works (masked) at a grocery store about 25 hours a week, he took the ACT in July (which felt like a huge risk), he sees his girlfriend that lives a couple hours away about once every 2 months for about 8 hours. I hate the girlfriend exposure but I'm allowing it because I just don't know when this thing will ever be over. I make her promise that she is not sick and has not been exposed under threat that if she shows up to the house sick I won't be trusting them next time and there won't be a next time. 

-12 yo dd takes dance three or four nights a week. There are two other girls (the same every time) and one teacher. They all mask but the other two girls do a poor job of just leaving it on. My dd stays far away from them all the time. Their mothers are anti-maskers so I don't trust this situation but I also feel like the benefit outweighs the risk and we are continuing for now. I mask and stay in the studio only if I am the only one there. If there are other parents hanging around I'll go to the car to wait. 

-For myself- I really only take my dd to dance and do curbside pickup of groceries. I went to one meeting at church where masking and distancing was required. Our pastor is very strict on Covid safety so there are no members deciding to take masks off or get close or social pressure not to be careful. It's about the only scenario in my real life where people are careful. 

-as a family we have seen my dad about once a month here at my home for dinner. We aren't huggers so it isn't hard to keep some kind of distance. I feel exposed after he has been here but he is so depressed and lonely we are doing it occasionally. 

-dh will run into a grocery store or Home Depot or Staples while masked about once a week or so. 

I am sure some on this board think this is huge risk and I do see risk there. However, I feel like we are nearly locked down because no one else, besides my fellow church members, are being careful at all. We have alot of cases and alot of spread here right now. I saw multiple posts today on FB of people at their packed churches. All the sports are going on. Lots of dining out in restaurants, vacationing, etc. Schools start here Wednesday. So compared to the real world going on around me, people think we are NUTS and paranoid. 

[SKL]

We follow the laws, and we stay away from people who (a) have risks we know of or (b) choose to be more careful.  We are very transparent with those we do spend time with.  If they are OK with what we're doing, we're OK with what they're doing.  Just like I stay away from my parents, they can decide to stay away from theirs.

In my family, my sister and I are the only ones with young kids.  The other 4 siblings can visit with my folks while my kids & I stay away.  My choices are based on our specific family situation, but for us, IMO it is more important for my kids to have time with their peers than for us to go breathe on my parents right now.  Each family can decide for themselves IMO.

Edited August 2, 2020 by SKL

[teachermom2834]

9 minutes ago, SKL said:

We follow the laws, and we stay away from people who (a) have risks we know of or (b) choose to be more careful.  We are very transparent with those we do spend time with.  If they are OK with what we're doing, we're OK with what they're doing.  Just like I stay away from my parents, they can decide to stay away from theirs.

In my family, my sister and I are the only ones with young kids.  The other 4 siblings can visit with my folks while my kids & I stay away.  My choices are based on our specific family situation, but for us, IMO it is more important for my kids to have time with their peers than for us to go breathe on my parents right now.  Each family can decide for themselves IMO.

I agree about people having to decide most of these things for themselves. I think the awesome thing you say is that you are transparent with others who you are spending time with.  Not everyone is!

[Carrie12345]

We are social distancing to the best extent that makes sense for us.

My dds are working (EMT, farm fields, farm store.) I guarantee there’s little to no masking inside the ambulance building, but of course they take patient precautions. They don’t mask in thE farm field, but they have plenty of distance. State mandates apply in-store.
Dh mostly works alone in his stand-alone office, but is interviewing to hire someone to work in his office. He’s also flown for one work trip and visited a couple other worksites.
We’ve had Very limited social gathering outdoors with few people.
Dh and dds have gathered with other volunteer firefighters for drills and well-spaced meetings.
We’ve had contractors and a social worker in our house, masked. And we attended 3 classes with spaced out seating and masks
I think I’ve been inside stores somewhere around 4 times since February or March.
Dd haas seen her boyfriend twice, and other dd has done outdoorsy things with a friend twice.
I keep forgetting to put on a mask at drive thru windows and no one has said anything, but I feel like a jerk.

[Shoeless]

We are still distancing. No socializing except by phone. Ours is the only family I know still doing this. EVERYONE I know has posted pics from beach trips, days at the lake, travel, parties with other people, etc.  All my son's activities are back in person and have asked when we will be back (um, the 31st of Never?)

My MIL is toodling around the beach with her favorite grandchild and my dad is talking about the cross country road trip he is going on next week. 

At the grocery, I was blocked in an aisle by a lady SINGING along with the Muzak, a guy in a mesh "mask", and some other lady with her mask under her chin, yelling into her cell phone. 

So, that's how things are around here. 😞

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Yes and no.

DH and DS are essential workers and have never been able to work from home. They are both doing what needs to be done and we are continuing our disinfection protocols and will do so as long as cases in our area are rising. I am no longer employed and don't have that pressure. I am not playing tennis (still only hitting with the ball machine) and have not yet scheduled any lessons or clinics. We have had workers in the house as our kitchen remodel (which began in March) must proceed; 5 months without a kitchen hasn't been easy. We have not socialized with anyone outside of our family (and work crew). I don't have a large social circle and didn't socialize much anyway; not playing tennis has been the most difficult thing to give up.

I have relaxed with shopping a bit and have been venturing to a wider variety of stores a bit more often.  When I go out I always mask and social distance. and shower and disinfect everything when I get home (yes, I know surface transmission isn't the biggest threat but I can't help myself; cleaning makes me feel better). We have not dined out but have had take out a bit (about once a week). With DD having a baby recently, I am quite anxious about exposure. I couldn't bear it if I took the virus to her and her newborn so I am probably more cautious than I need to be. Maybe. I don't know. Cases are on the rise here and we are posting record numbers although those numbers are nowhere near as bad as some other areas.

I am surprised by how few people are social distancing in my area. Backyard BBQs, playdates, large gatherings are more common than I would like.

Edited August 2, 2020 by The Accidental Coach

[HSmomof2]

Definitely still social distancing and wearing masks when in public indoor spaces. 
We visit with my parents a couple times per month, outside only and distanced at least 10 feet apart in their yard. Dh and I are working from home, so no issues there. Dc each have a couple friends they’ve only seen outside and distanced, or riding bikes. I mostly do grocery and curbside pickup, only going into a store occasionally. 

[rebcoola]

Yep. DH works

We have seen my parents outside a few times.  

1 family that my DH works  with like 4 times. The guys have helped each other with projects and the big kids ride dirt bikes or shoot archery on their property.

Medical appointments.

I don't go shopping except curbside, same for food only takeout.

ODD is volunteering and exercising the horse at the non-profit therapy stables.  They are not really opened yet.  Their is maybe 5 people on site all in masks.  The only time she is within 10ft of anyone is during the required temp check, and when mounting, dismounting because of the rules.  

Edited August 2, 2020 by rebcoola

[Guest]

Yes, still social distancing here. We have had a friend for ds come over a couple of times (though we have rules to follow), and when my grown kids can come home for dinner, I suppose that is a possible exposure, but it’s pretty low risk. Dh works, but he wears a mask and sanitizes his hands. 
I am not eating out or doing anything with friends unless the friend is happy to be outside AND masked AND not sharing food. 
 

For your entertainment, I went to the pharmacy and chuckled at this sign on the door of a restaurant nearby: 

Right on! 😄

[hjffkj]

1 hour ago, MissLemon said:

We are still distancing. No socializing except by phone. Ours is the only family I know still doing this. EVERYONE I know has posted pics from beach trips, days at the lake, travel, parties with other people, etc.  All my son's activities are back in person and have asked when we will be back (um, the 31st of Never?)

My MIL is toodling around the beach with her favorite grandchild and my dad is talking about the cross country road trip he is going on next week. 

At the grocery, I was blocked in an aisle by a lady SINGING along with the Muzak, a guy in a mesh "mask", and some other lady with her mask under her chin, yelling into her cell phone. 

So, that's how things are around here. 😞

 

If that is what it looked like here I would likely not be socializing either.  Here, almost everyone wears a mask properly.  I have witnessed 3 total people not wearing them correctly, but employees of the store were quick to correct them and they would fix it and keep it on correct while in that store.  

While most activities around here are back they are all, if able, still offering online classes, and less than half of the people are attending.  

[MEmama]

52 minutes ago, Quill said:

Yes, still social distancing here. We have had a friend for ds come over a couple of times (though we have rules to follow), and when my grown kids can come home for dinner, I suppose that is a possible exposure, but it’s pretty low risk. Dh works, but he wears a mask and sanitizes his hands. 
I am not eating out or doing anything with friends unless the friend is happy to be outside AND masked AND not sharing food. 
 

For your entertainment, I went to the pharmacy and chuckled at this sign on the door of a restaurant nearby: 

Right on! 😄

 No mask, no tacos. Now THATS what I consider a threat! Lol. Good for them. 👍

[SeaConquest]

18 minutes ago, MEmama said:

 No mask, no tacos. Now THATS what I consider a threat! Lol. Good for them. 👍

 

Exactly. 🌮 por vida!