Mask on, gloves off: How to stay safe as counties loosen restrictions

Posted by Walsh Road Reporter
a resident of Atherton: West of Alameda
on May 22, 2020 at 11:36 pm

I went to pick up RXs at the Menlo Park Walgreens and parked near the door to Bistro Vida today.
Here's what I observed from there. More people without masks than wearing them. One man was there, pacing as he talked on his phone, no mask in sight, but most certainly within the 6-foot bubble I needed to transit to enter the store. Tempted to say something; I didn't have a good idea of how to provoke thought rather than anger. A waiter (perhaps) took down his mask to taste some food. Family--dad, three children on bikes went by on the sidewalk--none had masks on.

I want to maintaIn a higher level of safety to protect my 70-year-old self and my 83 year-old cousin from the dangers of Covid-19. Until San Mateo County makes free for anyone who wants to know Covid-19 testing, I am afraid that those who are positive won't know what a danger they are to the rest of us who are taking seriously staying home, not going to situations of "super spreading" where repeated encounters with the virus leads to more serious infections, without the shouting that spreads the virus far and wide (and airborne more than 12 minutes). In the store the circles on the floor helped people with staying six feet apart in lines--no such luck in the aisles. People reading labels seem to pay total attention to solving their choice and lose track of people who may blocked by them.

That's today's report from a tiny slice of observation. Please urge our San Mateo County Supervisors to follow the example of Santa Clara County where free testing is offered for all who want to know their Covid-19 status. The more tested, the safer we can be. Without the information, we can't look at people and know how dangerous they may be.