help me think through covid guidelines

[EmilyGF]

I'm trying to think through a possible coop situation. The coop is very small, just 15 people, including adults and children.

Back in June, when cases were still dropping, we made plans to meet outdoors, for about 2.5 hours per week, starting in August just in case cases were to increase starting in fall.

As we now know, cases started increasing in June. Our city has a rate of 10 positives cases per day per 100,000 people with a 5.1% positivity rate as of today.

I'm starting to get cold feet. I know the other families don't find COVID as compelling as I do. Both made statements like, "I'm so done" during the course of our meeting. I responded with, "Well, COVID doesn't really care how you feel," to which they assented, but it still makes me nervous. I think they are fine with meeting out side and maintaining 6' distance but not excited about masking. I'm not sure how well their kids will do with distancing, though my older kids, at least, generally do OK.

I'm not totally comfortable with this idea. What do you think? Both have husbands who work in areas that would give them a fair amount of exposure to vectors, but less than healthcare workers.

Thoughts?

Emily

 

[regentrude]

If you are meeting outside with 6ft distancing ensured, I would be comfortable with no masks. For indoor, I would insist on distancing  and masking.

FWIW, I will be teaching in a classroom in a couple of weeks, with everybody distanced and masked, and am not too worried. But I do limit unnecessary indoor activities and distance outside.

Edited August 11, 2020 by regentrude

[prairiewindmomma]

My neighbor is forming a M/W/F pod school with 6 other families for her elementary aged kid and a T/R preschool for her other child. They are meeting in her garage, with the garage doors open (& with a heater for the winter months).

They have a number of ground rules---

1. No other outside activities to limit exposure (no gymnastics, art classes, etc.).

2. Masks must be worn.

3. No sending kids if someone is symptomatic in the home.

4. Separate supplies.

5. Quarantining for known exposure by any family member--no kids to the pod school (there have been workplace outbreaks in our area).

State guidelines here are that 5% positivity is "controlled" for the circumstances we are in. I would feel ok with that if we didn't have high risk factors in our home (but we do, so we're isolating ourselves). 

[JustEm]

I just made the announcement on my homeschool group's page today that we will not be meeting this year.  But we are a but larger than 15 people.  If my group was what you have I'd feel comfortable with outdoor meetings, socially distanced, no masks. But since you aren't comfortable with no masks I guess you can either ask for them to mask or not participate.

[mommyoffive]

2 hours ago, WendyAndMilo said:

I started reading your post "coop" like chicken coop...then got to the part where you are sticking people in it, and I was like Whooaaaa...

I wouldn't go.  By the time cases really start rising, it could be too late to control exposure.

I did the chicken coop thing too.

[EmilyGF]

Thanks for the input. I was having a hard time self-advocating and my kids pointed out that I wasn't very clear in my email. So I wrote an email that basically said that we can meet tomorrow as long as everyone wears a mask. If people aren't comfortable with that, then we won't meet.

I don't trust the kids to stay distanced,  so the kids especially need masks.

[SKL]

Meeting outdoors and staying 6' apart should be fine.

If they won't comply with the 6' rule, and you aren't willing to risk it, then end it there.

I will say though - aren't we all "so done" with this crap?  Who doesn't want it to be over?  But just because we are "so done," that doesn't mean we are going to ignore reasonable requests to keep others safe.

[EmilyGF]

6 minutes ago, SKL said:

Meeting outdoors and staying 6' apart should be fine.

If they won't comply with the 6' rule, and you aren't willing to risk it, then end it there.

I will say though - aren't we all "so done" with this crap?  Who doesn't want it to be over?  But just because we are "so done," that doesn't mean we are going to ignore reasonable requests to keep others safe.

It was in the context of, "What is your family's approach to COVID?" So I was specifically asking what precautions people were taking.

[JennyD]

A socially distanced meeting outside with masks is probably quite low-risk, given everything that we've learned over the last 6 months.

That said, I would not participate.  I'm sure your coop is lovely but the additional mental strain of worrying about other people's potential exposure and safety precautions just wouldn't be worth it to me.  

 

Edited August 12, 2020 by JennyD

[SKL]

21 minutes ago, EmilyGF said:

It was in the context of, "What is your family's approach to COVID?" So I was specifically asking what precautions people were taking.

I understand why you needed to ask that, but Covid is such a depressing topic that I absolutely hate hearing or talking about it.  There is no relief.  Even trying to listen to music on the radio, every other minute Covid, Covid, Covid.  And not like there's anything else to talk about, because for 5 months, nobody has been able to do anything worth discussing, other than Covid this and Covid that.  So, I'm just saying I can understand people being "so done."

I'm also hearing about situations where people are going way overboard with the "social distancing" thing.  Not saying you are doing that, but maybe they have been dealing with that elsewhere.  Some new rules downstate have people hopping mad on my facebook feed.  If I asked them today what precautions they were taking, I might get my head bitten off.  😛

[klmama]

10 minutes ago, SKL said:

I'm also hearing about situations where people are going way overboard with the "social distancing" thing.  

Like what?

[TCB]

Our robotics team is going to try to meet. We have at least one family of anti-maskers. We are going to meet outside, distanced, and see how it goes. I’m hoping we can do that for several months at least, and by then it should be possible to see what’s been happening with the schools being open in person. It’s really hard though. I am going to send home any kid that can’t distance though. I feel pretty good about things outside.