We are still in a shelter in place order, which is weird given some counties that have opened up a bit more. But it's so weird that he won't reiterate that to remind us that, say, just because a movie theatre is now open (in my county) doesn't mean you should go. It's understandable that some people will feel inclined to believe that there is no longer a stay at home order.
Yes, and I do passionately support being cautious about reopening. Even though it is permitted here now, I would NOT watch a movie or get an indoor haircut at this point. I use restaurant take-out rather than dining inside (at 25% capacity). I’m glad that our school district is still doing remote learning. At this point, the risk to catch it is, in my (informed) assessment, low, but if I do, things could get serious quickly (I’m in my mid-fifties, there’s a history of diabetes & high blood pressure in my family, and any of the BMI charts that are out there would classify me as “obese,” so I’m a prime candidate for serious complications).
However, the parks are a controlled environment. Cast members are empowered to do what, for example, teachers in many school districts aren’t allowed to do: treating wearing a mask and wearing it properly NOT as “urgent recommendation” but as requirement and being able to kick people out of they refuse to comply. Teachers don’t have that option, which is why, despite the problematic PR optics, in-person-schooling, even part-time and with evidence-based restrictions, is probably far, far, far more risky for vulnerable family members than going to a theme park (as long as public health measures are enforced there and people are appropriately risk conscious). Don’t even get me started on the far higher rate of asymptomatic cases (kids who don’t have symptoms but still transmit the disease) among young children and the role many elderly family members play in helping out with after school child care.
If I go to Disneyland, I can rely on cast members to have my back and reign in mask haters, and I can also decide what level of risk I’m comfortable with (I might, for example, forego some of the indoor lines or put some extra distance between me and others and stay away from situations in which that is difficult).
I am somewhat of a skeptic about the claim that “there have been 0 transmissions that were tracked back to WDW.” It seems to me that Florida has been doing a bit of a sloppy job with their testing, tracing, and reporting, and many visitors go back to their home states and, if positive, get counted there (which is probably one of the rationales behind California’s suggested distance requirement—better metrics as to the public health effects of the opening). It is a good sign that there have been no reported cases among cast members in Florida, though, given that their exposure is most likely greater than the average guest’s.
However, I wonder how much of California’s reaction (and I don’t think it’s just up to Newsom—I figure he gets pressure from unions & watches public opinion in his state about this, via polls & surveys, like a hawk) is an stubborn overreaction, going overboard on precautions, just out of frustration about other states (such as Florida, Georgia, and now many Midwestern states) whose policies about reopening, though understandable given all of our worries about the economy, seem to have been more in the cavalier, lax, or even reckless side of things (this is merely my opinion; I hope I’m NOT offending anybody here by saying so; it’s not my intention to attack anybody or start a fight
).
There is a reasonable middle path here somewhere!!!
Edited to add: Come to think of it, I should probably find Gavin Newsom’s (or his press secretary’s) “contact me” emails, copy this post, slightly rewrite it to add urgent pleas for an open mind on his end, and send it to my governor...
