My Pre-Shelter-in-Place EO Errand Run Today, a Surreal Experience.

So, Governor Kemp signed an Executive Order that goes into effect Friday, April 3, 2020 at 6p mandating statewide shelter in place, only essential businesses open, etc.
I went out today for a few errands, and this was my experience.

It was absolutely surreal. I understand being cautious and safe, bit this seemed almost like a social experiment.

The several places I went today: The local Ace, Walmart, Home Depot, and the local Grocer.

Ace: Normally has 4 entrances, reduced to 2. There was a whiteboard with a sign: "Limited to 10 customers, please wait by the white bucket for someone to come get you." Well, this place is big enough that more than 10 could easily keep 6 feet apart. No one was around, so I went ahead inside and made myself back to the outdoor equipment counter, where there was only one customer. Plexiglass hung from the ceiling in front of the registers. There were 5 gallon buckets at 6 foot intervals to keep people separated. I needed a spark plug, and the clerk, who I know, had me read off the numbers. I gave him cash. He looked at me hesitantly and took it, but wouldn't even take the old plug to dispose of it. "I can't take it, I'm sorry. Do you mind?" he said.

Walmart: Normally 3 entrances (excluding the fourth, auto center), and two were closed. The one entrance going in had an "in" lane, and "out" lane. The in-lane was, I kid you not, a line of overturned buggies with caution tape linking them. They did not limit people from entering just telling everyone to keep 6' apart. Garden entrance gate was closed. Lots of people wearing masks inside. There was a line of people waiting to leave the store with their items, but there wasn't a line to get inside, and they all go through the same area. At least they should designate one as an entrance and another as an exit, but no.

Home Depot. I need some tomato/bell pepper/herbs. I try to enter through the garden entrance, but there is a sign partially obscured by some shrubbery pointing to another entrance. Even though the entrance was open, it's "exit" only. The young girl says, "Sir, you have to enter down there." I left.

Grocer: As I drove by, I slowed down. It has two entrances, and I noticed a piece of orange poster board on one entrance that said "Enter Here."

At al these places there were employees posted by each closed entrance, like sentinels. Now, I've read the EO, but I swear, I don't understand this keeping one entrance open or designating one entrance for entry and one for exit. One would think more entrances would separate people more instead of congesting everyone into one, especially Walmart.

One would think that keeping entrances open would keep people separated more, unless they do plan to limit people who enter, which is what some Home Depots have already been doing, when the EO goes into effect tonight.

Unless it *is* about control. I just felt like a head of damned livestock going into a corral. It truly was surreal.

I wonder when it will get to the point where stores say, "No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service." Or "all customers must wear a mask to enter."

But I feel better after going for a 4 mile walk outside.

a reply to: Liquesence

It's weird out there alright, I went to Bunnings hardware and only 10 customers allowed in at once, only 1 entrance, a line out the from with bollard and rope, similar to what they do at the airport.

Everyone look at each other weird, If someone coughs everyone just treats them like a leper.

I don't much like this new normal.

It just seems like it is so much overblown, even though I certainly get that you want to err on the side of caution. That said it almost feels like we are collectively being programmed, being conditioned for something else. It's a thought that keeps waking me up at night.

I ran to the grocery store today, for chix wings and dish soap. Everyone had masks on and gloves. Tp aisle was bare. Check out clerk kept. Mumbling it was the end of the world and was nervous laughing, I tried to reassure him, it was not to no avail. Glad I am back home.

originally posted by: putnam6
It just seems like it is so much overblown, even though I certainly get that you want to err on the side of caution. That said it almost feels like we are collectively being programmed, being conditioned for something else. It's a thought that keeps waking me up at night.

I'm not getting it New York has had 1958 deaths from the Covid-19 but in 2017 they had 4517 die from the flu are flu numbers not being counted this year ? I don't understand the absolute panic .

originally posted by: Bicent
I ran to the grocery store today, for chix wings and dish soap. Everyone had masks on and gloves. Tp aisle was bare. Check out clerk kept. Mumbling it was the end of the world and was nervous laughing, I tried to reassure him, it was not to no avail. Glad I am back home.

Lol that's the other thing as soon as I get where I am going it's no big deal, it will be over in a few weeks, I talk to somebody else, with a new theory. We don't even watch the news here anymore, you can't tell what's BS and what is the truth. Not to mention the 3 of us here wind up rehash it over and over, for no reason. LOL I read the CDC page and the state health department page every day and of course on here, but not watching any of the other stuff.

originally posted by: Gargoyle91

originally posted by: putnam6
It just seems like it is so much overblown, even though I certainly get that you want to err on the side of caution. That said it almost feels like we are collectively being programmed, being conditioned for something else. It's a thought that keeps waking me up at night.

I'm not getting it New York has had 1958 deaths from the Covid-19 but in 2017 they had 4517 die from the flu are flu numbers not being counted this year ? I don't understand the absolute panic .

I agree 100 percent if they are doing this now imagine if it was really like the Spanish Flu, we would be locked down tighter than Fort Knox. I also don't like how it's being rolled out in stages getting more and more oppressive. Did you see where they busted a guy paddleboarding in Malibu? Now part of me goes well hell dude when the lifeguard calls you you have to at least talk to him, but the other half they sent in two boats just seemed like over the top. There's a small chance something's up beyond just CoVid19.

a reply to: Gargoyle91

From your posting... There were 4,517 deaths in New York from the flu. This is the number from the entire year.
Again from your posting... There have been 1,958 deaths in New York from Covid-19. This is the number from 1 month.
This is comparing 1 month's total to 1 year's total. And SADLY the number of deaths in NYS will continue rising.

Per 1point3acres, there are now 2,935 deaths in the state of New York.

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

Yeah, like I said, the same with Ace hardware here. I mean, the guy acted like he didn't want me to use cash, which I rarely do, and wouldn't even touch the old spark plug. God forbid I need to exchange a battery or get charged for the core.

I'm of two minds about all of this. On the one hand, yeah it's inconvenient.

And not to be an ass, but I have immune, heart and lung problems from a (tada) a coronvirus I had in 2012. If I get the flu or a cold, I go down hard and bad. So from my point of view, good maybe now people will stop snorting, coughing, sneezing and infecting people in the future. Welcome to my world.

And at the same time, there's still idiots running around like it's social hour like my very own mother so guess what. If you're going to be stupid, the stores will impose rules because everyone acts like two year olds.

a reply to: Liquesence

If it's about control then labeling gun stores "essential" is the wrong way to go about it...

a reply to: billxam

And at the same time, there's still idiots running around like it's social hour like my very own mother so guess what. If you're going to be stupid, the stores will impose rules because everyone acts like two year olds.

So because *some* won't be saved, we *all* have to be forcibly and very unpleasantly saved?

I don't think so.

Because Joe can't wipe his own butt, we all have to be forcibly held down by large men named Bubba who unpleasantly wipe our butts ... for Joe's sake, of course.

a reply to: billxam

I understand what you're saying, but what does that have to do with closing down store entrances and only having one?

It congests people.

a reply to: Liquesence

I'm still confused why shutting down at 8pm helps stop the spread. I realize they claim it's to restock or clean but does it take 12 hours to restock essentials or to clean? These are stores that were open 24 hours before this and managed to stock items and clean. They should be cleaning routinely anyway while open to shoppers.
So, now we are forced to shop in a 12 hour window when some of us would have gladly shopped at midnight.

Also, why didn't local grocery stores get together and have a rotating open time so that we aren't all being shuffled into the same stores at the same time. Even delivery people can't shop off hours so the backlog for that is getting longer and longer.

A lot of these measures make little sense.

I talked to someone who works at Home Depot, and she said that having one entrance is a health department regulation, but I don't see that in the GA EO, only the 6 foot rule.

I'm still trying to find that health department mandate.

a reply to: Identified

I'm still confused why shutting down at 8pm helps stop the spread. I realize they claim it's to restock or clean but does it take 12 hours to restock essentials or to clean?

Not only to restock and clean as they normally do, but to sanitize everything, things they likely usually wouldn't. Special cleaning crews, too.

a reply to: Liquesence

They are not doing 12 hours of deep sanitizing. They are mopping, wiping touch areas, sanitizing the front end and stocking. Think about it. Who do you think is doing this cleaning? It's not possible to have environmental cleaners come in every night for hours on end at every store in the State.

It's the regular crews doing the cleaning. They are simply doing it more often during the day and then paying special attention to certain areas at night.

I'm not getting it New York has had 1958 deaths from the Covid-19 but in 2017 they had 4517 die from the flu are flu numbers not being counted this year ? I don't understand the absolute panic .

You don't understand the panic because apparently you don't understand the concept of exponential growth.

Here is the website that the White House recommended on Monday that we should all use to inform ourselves about the current state and likely trajectory of the pandemic:

covid19.healthdata.org...

You can go that website and select whichever state you want and look at the numbers for that state or, for the entire US, as a whole.

The model shows that if New York does everything right, the total number of deaths in that state due to COVID-19 will be in excess of 16,000 by the time we get over the hump by August. So that's more than 3.5x the number of flu deaths in 2017.

So far, New York has not done everything right, and the body count could go as high as 20,000.

a reply to: 1947boomer

Please .... spare me.

I've been living in a county directly north of and directly east of an urban hot spot for a few weeks now. For something that's supposed to be exploding exponentially, it has taken it most of those two weeks to just now endanger 200 cases. Give it a couple days, and it may get there. Oh, and cases in the hot spot to my west are far less than that and mostly contained to a nursing home and its staff.

Meanwhile, the county I'm in which is still part of this contiguous metro area limps along adding a couple to three cases every other day or so. We *may* hit 25 cases by Monday.

a reply to: 1947boomer

"Whats all of that have to do with me and my busy agenda and retirement?" they said.