Cape Cod officials say they will be ready for visitors this summer
Cape Cod will be open for business this summer, albeit in a limited fashion as the state economy gradually reopens amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Thursday. Members of the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force provided the summer outlook during a conference call with reporters. “The real key for us as we reopen and as we welcome everyone back is that the public understands what we need to do,” Cyr said.
Just don't expect a ferry bound for Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard.
First of all, it is going to be a strange summer on old Cape Cod:
"Some people are making more money by not working. For businesses looking to hire, this is a problem" by Katie Johnston Globe Staff, May 22, 2020
For people who’ve been laid off during the pandemic, the extra $600 a week the federal government is doling out on top of unemployment is a godsend, but for restaurateurs and hotel owners around New England looking to staff up for the summer tourist season — what there is of it, anyway — the bump is anything but a blessing.
While some workers are turning down jobs because they’re worried about getting sick or infecting family members or because they don’t have child care, others are flat-out telling employers they’re making more money safe at home collecting unemployment.
The generous benefit has been problematic for businesses all over, but it is especially acute for seasonal employers looking to make new hires ahead of the summer.
Several business owners on the Cape are so desperate for bodies they’re increasing employees’ pay to what they would be making on unemployment, paying $900 for a cook who normally makes $600 a week, for instance, to match the regular state unemployment benefit ($300) plus stimulus payout ($600). Another employer is slipping workers cash under the table so they can continue collecting.
Offering to come in part time is also a popular workaround, business owners said, because, in addition to their wages, workers can still collect the extra $600 a week, as well as a reduced amount of state unemployment.
The $600 bonus lasts through the end of July, and some workers have said they’re willing to come back then, but some markets and restaurants are open now, at least for takeout, and other businesses expect to be soon. In addition to longstanding problems hiring locals, many are facing the potential loss of thousands of foreign workers they rely on to make beds and prepare meals every summer. Faced with travel restrictions and visa problems, those workers are expected to arrive late — or not at all.
If House Democrats succeed in extending the $600 benefit until the end of the year, it could be devastating for employers.
“It’s a real dilemma,” said Bill Catania, president of Catania Hospitality Group, which typically employs 500 people year-round at its three Hearth 'n Kettle restaurants, Cape Codder Resort and Spa in Hyannis, and Dan’l Webster Inn & Spa in Sandwich. "The majority are anxious to get back to work," Catania said, "but there is a certain element of people, between being concerned about their safety and [the fact that] they're pretty comfortable getting their two unemployment checks ... they're basically saying, 'Right now I'm making enough money, I'm in no rush.' You can’t blame them,” he added, but, he said, “The longer this goes on and the more workers get used to not working, the less they want to come back to work.”
And the less chance the job will be waiting when and if they do.
Employees can’t refuse to work simply because they’re collecting more money in unemployment benefits, according to the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance, although employment experts note this is difficult to enforce. Those who refuse to work because of COVID-19-related risks to their health and safety, however, may be able to keep collecting.
One restaurant owner said that when three kitchen workers asked to be paid off the books so they could keep collecting unemployment, his back was against the wall. So he did it. “It’s either that or shut the place down,” said the owner, who asked not to be identified. “All of us are going to do what we have to do in order to survive.”
Poli Kostova, a waitress at Clancy’s Restaurant in Dennisport, which is open year-round, didn’t have any such dilemma when her boss asked her to come back to help with takeout. That’s because the owner offered to match what she was collecting. Kostova isn’t worried about getting sick because there are many protections in place and she’s only interacting with four other co-workers. She’s more worried about not being needed. “My fear is that after you’re on unemployment, they don’t have to take you back,” she said.
Bill Zammer, who owns Clancy’s, along with the Flying Bridge Restaurant and the Red Horse Inn in Falmouth, is similarly subsidizing all 70 of the employees on the payroll. Still, he’s having a hard time finding housekeepers. “The workers don’t want to go into the rooms to clean because of the potential of someone being in there with COVID,” he said.
Zammer is hoping the 50 H-2B workers from Jamaica he typically employs will be able to come, though there currently are no regularly scheduled flights from there to the United States. Otherwise, he might not be able to fully open his hotel or restaurants. “The irony is that I’m going to be bringing in guest workers while I’ve got unemployed workers all over the Cape who don’t want to come to work because they’re getting paid more to stay home,” he said. He understands the workers’ dilemma but is frustrated that the extra money is incentivizing them not to work, and he refuses to pay them under the table. “At my age, I’m not going to jail,” he said.....
And when that money runs out, then what will they do?
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Related:
White House, Congress discuss ‘return to work’ bonus of $450 a week
I'll let you do the math; I have to go to work.
Better hurry, the ferry is leaving:
"The Steamship Authority, which is losing millions of dollars due to reduced ferry service to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard amid the Covid-19 pandemic, will get an infusion of federal funding to keep it operating through July, US Representative William Keating said Friday evening. The head of the Federal Transit Administration committed Friday to providing $12 million within two weeks to the Steamship Authority and the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, according to a statement from Keating, a Democrat who represents the Cape and the Islands. “These funds will be critical to bridging the cashflow gap for the Steamship Authority this summer,” Keating said in the statement. “The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every one of us deeply. The Steamship Authority is no different, and has been dealing with unprecedented loss of ridership this spring due to the virus and stay home advisory.” The funding includes $9.8 million in federal coronavirus relief money and the existing annual allocation of $2.45 million for the transportation agencies, according to the statement. Keating said he hoped the cash would be enough “to fund operations through August when I hope that the Steamship Authority will have recovered to ridership levels that support their mission of maintaining access to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.” Robert B. Davis, general manager of the Steamship Authority, said in a letter to Governor Charlie Baker last week that ferries might stop running after the end of May if the agency didn’t receive assistance. “With the rapid onset of the COVID-19 virus, the current travel restrictions imposed by State directives, and the limited cash on-hand balances at its disposal, the Authority cannot wait until December 31, 2020 to present millions of dollars in shortfalls to the Commonwealth seeking its assistance,” Davis wrote in the letter. In Keating’s statement, Davis thanked the congressman for his help securing the funds, “which will help us fund operations into the heart of the summer season.” Thomas S. Cahir, administrator of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, which operates buses across the Cape, said Keating “has worked diligently with public transportation officials on the Cape for years and these funds are the result of that continued effort.”
The rich people on the islands got a federal bailout for the decrepit and neglected service!!
"Steamship Authority gets $12 million in federal aid in wake of reduced ridership during coronavirus pandemic" by Travis Andersen Globe Staff, May 20, 2020
The Steamship Authority has received $12 million in federal aid, including $9.8 million in coronavirus relief, according to US Representative Bill Keating’s office.
Keating, a Bourne Democrat. announced the funding in a statement on Wednesday.
The congressman said that in addition to the $9.8 million in COVID-19 relief provided by the CARES Act, the Steamship Authority, which runs ferry service to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, also received an annual allocation of $2.45 million from “existing [Federal Transit Administration] sources.”
The statement said all the funding was contingent on the Steamship Authority being designated as a commuter service by the FTA, a designation that was in doubt earlier this year.
The FTA had announced earlier this year that it intended to decertify the Steamship Authority as a commuter service, but the agency reversed course, the statement said, once Keating, working closely with the Steamship Authority and Cape Cod Transit Authority, provided the FTA with “new evidence” of commuter traffic on the island ferries.
"The stoppage in Steamship Authority service was a real threat and the ceasing of that service would have been catastrophic for our region,” Keating said in the statement.
His words were echoed by Steamship Authority general manager Robert B. Davis.
"Without Congressman Keating’s intervention with the Federal Transit Administration, these vital funds would not have been expedited as quickly as they were,” Davis said.
The Steamship Authority has lost millions of dollars due to reduced ferry service to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On its website Wednesday, the authority said its high-speed vessel, the M/V Iyanough, will return to service Memorial Day weekend, offering four round-trips daily between May 21 and May 26.
“The vessel will then be inactive until at least mid-June as demand for the service past the holiday weekend remains low,” the site said.
As of May 14, the Steamship Authority had seen 376,386 passengers this year, a sharp dip from the 641,950 riders who had used the service at the same time in 2019, according to statistics provided by the quasi-public agency.
The authority’s website laid out a number of safety precautions the authority has taken amid the pandemic.
According to the website, “the use of cloth face coverings is now required for passengers while they are boarding, disembarking, and traveling in an interior passenger area, including freight decks, while on board one of its vessels.”
In addition, concession sales have been suspended, and cleaning also remains a top priority.
Let's get off before she leaves port.
The authority has faced scrutiny in recent years.
A report from outside consultants released in December 2018 said the authority was badly understaffed, suffered from a “penny-pinching” mentality, and was hampered by sparring internal factions. The report followed a May 2018 review that found the authority had canceled 550 trips from January through April of that year, about 15 times the yearly average.
Davis said when the consultants’ report was released that the ferries were safe and that problems in the spring of 2018 resulted from “a lot of items that came together at the same time.”
More recently, the authority’s website was unable to book online reservations for several hours on Jan. 21 of this year, the first day to schedule summer travel to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket for the summer season.
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They also had issues with workplace safety, and almost ran aground at the historic lighthouse.
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
Time to hit the beach!
"Mass. beaches reopening in the age of coronavirus" by Matt Stout and David Abel Globe Staff, May 21, 2020
Twelve feet between beach blankets. No spikeball, no water fountains, no changing rooms, and brace yourself for face mask tan lines.
Come Memorial Day, a slate of new rules and regulations hit Massachusetts beaches, promising to dramatically change sun-worshiping at the unofficial start of the first coronavirus summer.
The three pages of guidelines Governor Charlie Baker released as part of his reopening plan, which include opening beaches for wider use Monday, touch everything from games (Kan Jam and volleyball are out) to sand-side clam shacks (takeout only).
Layer on statewide orders requiring masks in public and capping groups at 10 people, and the summertime rituals that define sandy havens from Cape Cod to the North Shore will undoubtedly look and feel different this year.
The safety measures, public health and local officials say, are to be expected, especially as a highly infectious virus has replaced shark sightings as the No. 1 fear for beachgoers.
“We should view this as a privilege,” Joseph Allen, an assistant professor at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said of venturing back to beaches, parks, and other places being reopened, “and one that can be revoked quickly if we demonstrate we’re unable to abide by these rules. . . . We should expect that things will be very different this summer."
It's our FUCKING RIGHT, a$$hole!!
How different remains to be seen. With the allure of warming weather — Monday’s forecast shows sun and temperatures in the 60s — will people flock to the state’s shorelines after months of being cooped up inside? Will they ignore or accept the new requirements? Or will the prospect of crowded beaches during the COVID-19 pandemic leave people to seek summer solace elsewhere?
In many cases, changes are already taking root.
In Wellfleet on Thursday, Katie Driscoll, surfboard in hand, emerged from the cobalt waters off White Crest Beach, where she was one of about a dozen people surfing. The 34-year-old therapist then strapped on a mask.
“Everyone was keeping their distance; there was a wave for everyone,” Driscoll said. “We’ll see how crowded it gets this summer, but if I have to be around people, I would prefer to be outside on a beach.”
Town and state officials are bracing for others to want to do the same, in many instances crafting plans built off Baker’s recommendations.
Under those guidelines, beachgoers are required to stay 6 feet away from others — and wear masks if they can’t. They also “should” put 12 feet between them and other groups on the sand. Indoor showers and changing rooms are closed for at least the next several weeks, as are any shuttle services beaches use to ease their jammed parking lots.
To be sure, the public has been allowed on most beaches across the state, albeit with restrictions, since Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10.
Baker had for several weeks ordered parking lots at state beaches closed, and limited activity there to “transitory use,” such as walking and running. Yarmouth officials, for example, closed beaches for nearly two months before town selectmen voted to reopen them a few weeks back.
Public health experts say a beach’s outdoor setting, where winds can naturally dilute virus particles, makes it a safer place than many indoor locations, but hordes of people crammed onto a spit of sand can be a problem, including in the haphazard ways people navigate blankets and coolers to find their slice of the beach.
That’s prompted a variety of efforts to scale back crowds. Baker’s regulations do not set limits on how full parking lots can get, but in places such as Wellfleet, officials are capping them at 75 percent capacity, with warnings that spots could be sliced further if “beachgoers fail to observe social distancing.”
Some towns are allowing only residents in, beaches included. For the first phase of Baker’s reopening plan, only those living in Gloucester will be allowed at Good Harbor Beach, for example, and the city has no plans to sell nonresident beach stickers at all this year.
Swimming is allowed most places statewide, but in Manchester-by-the Sea, it’s prohibited at the popular Singing Beach, which, come Monday, will open to residents only and on weekdays. Residents between the ages of 12 and 65 must also present a “walk-on tag,” which costs $20 at the beach.
Beachgoers are even being told to expect few or no trash cans in many popular spots, including across the 40 miles and six beaches that make up the Cape Cod National Seashore. Superintendent Brian Carlstrom, who oversees destinations such as Coast Guard Beach in Eastham and Race Point in Provincetown, said he removed garbage receptacles “when it all started.”
“It’s going to be a different experience,” he warned of going to the beach. “Everything is now.”
Lifeguards are also being told to keep their distance from people. That means they may leave parents with the duty of offering aid for the occasional jellyfish sting, said Daniel Knapik, Yarmouth’s town administrator, but the unofficial dawn of summertime also brings twinges of uncertainty. Towns are leaning on educating the public about the rules, with the hope that heavy-handed enforcement isn’t necessary. Baker’s order governing access to state beaches said the Massachusetts Environmental Police and State Police will help enforce the rules, with the potential for criminal penalties or civil fines.
Related:
"The body of a 15-year-old boy was recovered in the water off Yarmouth late Saturday night, according to the US Coast Guard. The teenager was swimming with friends in the Bass River around 8 p.m. Saturday night when he began to struggle and went under the water, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Briana Carter. The State Police dive team responded around 8:30 p.m., said spokesman David Procopio. State Environmental Police also responded to assist local authorities in the search in the Dennis-Yarmouth area. A Coast Guard helicopter was deployed to aid the search, according to Carter, as well as a 24-foot response boat from Station Chatham. The teenager was found by a dive team under the water at about 11 p.m., Carter said. State Police detectives assigned to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office are assisting with the investigation, Procopio said."
At least you can still go fishing, even if gas price rose over the last 2 weeks.
In Worcester County, Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw said his department has sent officers to the shores of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg over the last few weekends. They haven’t had any issues, and Shaw said he hopes this weekend will bring more of the same.
“It all comes down to common sense,” Shaw said. “If we all adhere to the guidelines . . . people can go out there and have a great time.”
It doesn’t mean there isn’t trepidation. Patti Machado, the recreation director for Barnstable, said some longtime beach employees chose not to return this year, fearful of dealing with anxious, and in some cases angry, people rushing to the town’s 14 beaches after enduring months of restrictions on daily life.
“Everywhere I’ve gone, it seems like people are ready to pounce. There’s a lot of pent-up anger. That worries me, that worries my staff,” Machado said. “I want people to understand, we want them to come, we want to have a good day. But if we can’t do all that we need to do, we all lose. I don’t want the governor to come back out, and say, ‘It’s not working, shut it down.’ ”
She’s also expecting it to be busy. Barnstable officials have been tracking how beaches have fared in warmer-weather states. In many cases, she said, more people are going to the beach “that have never gone to the beach,” while at-risk populations, like the elderly or those with underlying health conditions, have kept their distance.
“Beaches that always fill up are obviously a concern no matter what,” Machado said, pointing to Kalmus Beach. “We open at 9 and by 9:30 we’re full. It might be 9:15 now.”
Back at White Crest Beach along the Outer Cape, only a few visitors ventured down the bluff and onto the white sands of the narrow beach Thursday.
At one point, Bob Noonan and his wife rolled up to the bluff on bicycles, taking in the view from the sparsely filled parking lot.
Speaking through a red bandanna, he said the virus wouldn’t keep them from returning regularly to the beach — the reason they moved to Cape Cod, but they were grateful that local officials were requiring visitors to stay apart and take other precautions.
“We’ll be here," he said, “but we’ll be keeping our distance.”
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The masked tan line is going to make you look like a goddamn fool, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
I'm glad I never go to the beach:
"Crowded beaches could be a forecast for summer" by Milton J. Valencia and Caroline Enos Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent, May 28, 2020
As warmer weather arrives, and an order closing state beaches is lifted, thousands of residents a day could begin flocking to the state’s 192 miles of coast line, looking for respite from weeks of home confinement, but that has officials worried — and with good reason, judging by the crowds that packed beaches along the North Shore on an 80-degree Wednesday.
That does it!
Police cleared Rice’s Beach in Beverly after a large crowd of teens packed themselves onto the sand, Mayor Mike Cahill said in a Facebook post. “I get it, teens, I empathize with you,” Cahill said in the post. “If this was last summer, we would have smiled to see you socializing and enjoying yourselves in the sun. The problem is we just can’t gather and socialize in this way right now.”
Or ever, if they have their way, and I'm sure glad all the convicts they released aren't out committing crimes and stuff.
My guess is they are busying being employed in the race riots all across the country.
In Salisbury, Police Chief Thomas Fowler said Salisbury Beach was “inundated,” on what he called an “unusually busy” day. “I think people tried as well as they could [to follow guidelines], but I did see photos where people were too close to each on the beach,” Fowler said, though he added that police had not moved to break up games or large crowds.
Susan Quack-Harris, who lives near Salisbury Beach with her husband, said she was appalled when she saw the beach scene Wednesday. “No one was social distancing or wearing masks. It was like [COVID-19] just disappeared or people just don’t care,” she said. “We won’t go to the beach since no regulations or restrictions are being followed.”
She is a quack, all right!
Beachgoers visited Salisbury Beach Thursday afternoon (Jim Davis/Globe Staff).
What's even worse is they left their beer cans on the beach, but the sand and sun reminds one of normal even if riding the T is different this summer (some familiar headaches remain but they have adopted CDC guidelines for reopening).
Many beachgoers were not from the area, Fowler said. He ran into people from Fitchburg and Marlborough, and said he personally saw an influx of visitors from New Hampshire, where beaches remain closed.
I'll bet they were dying to go, too.
Beach traffic was another issue. Only one of the beach’s three parking lots were open and it quickly filled up, Fowler said. People had to wait in line to pay for parking, while other incoming beachgoers had to find parking on the streets or wait for cars to leave the lot, he said.
Two fights also broke out near the beach. Fowler said there was a small fight in the parking lot and another erupted on a street near the beach between two women, one of whom will be summonsed to court. “Tempers are a little high right now,” Fowler said.
Philip E. Lemnios, town manager in Hull, where Nantasket Beach is one of the few destination beaches on the South Shore featuring restaurants and hotels, said crowds have only begun to arrive. Lemnios saw some small groups, mainly young people, that worried him on Wednesday, though not at the levels of Beverly and Salisbury.
Lemnios added, though, that Nantasket’s crowds have been dictated by the state’s ongoing closure of parking lots it controls along the shore. The area could begin seeing more crowds once the closure is lifted — a true “test” for the season. “There’s a lot of pent up demand to get out, get fresh air, get some sunshine,” he said. “I think the issue for us will be trying to figure out how people can enjoy their summer the best way possible.”
Good thing the viru$ is weakening.
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Related:
"Business owners will be able to deny entry to people not wearing masks or face coverings, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. His promised executive order comes as restrictions on shops are loosened around the state, though not in New York City. Cuomo said his order will reduce conflicts between shop owners and customers who refuse to cover their faces. Meanwhile, in Texas, a bar owner is barring people who wear masks. A regular at the tavern, Charles Chamberlain, 58, said he survived Stage 4 cancer and the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. He spent a year in a hospital, he told the Austin American-Statesman, before becoming so frustrated he cut the cancer treatment short. “This quarantine . . . that’s not living, that’s existing,” he said. “Going to the bar, going to the lake, going swimming with your friends, barbecuing, fishing — that’s living,” and at a Kentucky gas station, no one is allowed inside the adjacent convenience store with a mask.”
God, do I wish I lived in any state other than Ma$$achu$etts.
Also see:
"Health authorities in Ohio’s largest county have apologized after issuing ‘‘offensive’’ face-mask guidance for African- Americans and people of color, urging them to steer clear of masks that could be associated with ‘‘gang symbolism’’ or ‘‘elicit deeply held stereotypes,’’ but the pointers the health department offered didn’t exactly resonate in the way authorities apparently hoped. The guidelines, which encouraged people of color to wear brightly colored masks with decorative fabric...."
Looks like they were out in front of the race-baiting riots, huh?
Made Wisconsin call off its beloved state fair as Missouri officials were stunned by the raucous Lake of the Ozarks Memorial Day festivities, and as some states see an uptick of cases after reopening one is reminded of the lessons from the deadly second wave of the 1918 pandemic when they reopened too soon.
Thus it was that, "on the Sunday talk shows, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said she was “very concerned” about scenes of people crowding together over the weekend. “We really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical, and if you can’t social distance and you’re outside, you must wear a mask,” she said on ABC's “This Week.”
Let's take a look around, shall we?
Cocoa Beach, Fla., was packed with Memorial Day weekend beachgoers on Saturday (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via Associated Press/Orlando Sentinel via AP).
People gathered outside the California State Capitol on Saturday to protest the governor’s stay at home order (Cuneyt Dil/Associated Press/Associated Press).
Even as Americans are largely wary as restrictions ease, the virus news from overseas is mixed and national parks hope visitors comply with virus measures because a rapid return to normalcy could spell catastrophe even as the future of entire industries is in question.
Most people are taking the plunge into uncharted waters:
"How do you socially distance on a beach? Summer uncertainty on the Cape, Islands" by Katie Johnston Globe Staff, May 3, 2020
As summer vacation misgivings mount, the Cape and Islands are shrouded in uncertainty. The tourism industry has survived hurricanes and shark attacks and countless rainy spells, but the global coronavirus pandemic poses a more all-encompassing threat. Will vacationers feel comfortable staying in places previously occupied by other people? How many workers will businesses need, and when? What will it take to reassure people they won’t get sick? And how do you maintain a 6-foot separation on a crowded patch of sand or at an ice cream stand?
Many seasonal restaurants and shops that typically start opening in late April are still locked up tight, and summer hiring is in limbo. Still, compared to many tourist destinations, the Cape is in a relative sweet spot. A recent TripAdvisor survey found that 40 percent of travelers are more likely to go on a beach vacation than they were before the pandemic, and 44 percent are more likely to take a road trip. Cape Cod is already a huge driving destination, with 96 percent of visitors coming in their own cars, according to the local chamber of commerce.
"The Cape and Islands have 1,000 miles of coastline, so I think we can find a spot for everybody," said Wendy Northcross, chief executive of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. One thing is for certain, she said: "It will not be like any summer you've seen."
When some businesses are allowed to open, perhaps as early as May 18, a task force of business owners is envisioning sanitizing stations and cleaning crews everywhere. In restaurants, buffets may be closed, tables farther apart, and more outdoor dining allowed, with wait staff wearing face masks.
On Nantucket, officials are talking about having distinct seating times to allow restaurants to sanitize tables and restrooms between diners, said Tom Fusaro, owner of Fusaro’s Homemade Italian Restaurant.
Fusaro’s, which is normally open year-round, is gearing up to open for takeout next week, and that might be as good as it gets. Even if vacationers do come to the island, Fusaro said, they might not be comfortable going out to dinner. "There's nothing but questions," he said. "It's kind of just hanging on for dear life and hoping for the best," but even if crowds do return, it would pose a challenge for the many businesses on the Cape and Islands that count on foreign workers. The processing of J-1 and H-2B visas is on hold, and it’s unclear when those workers could get flights to the US. The plethora of out-of-work locals could potentially make up the difference, but with the $600-a-week bump in benefits they’re getting through the end of July, they might make more money on unemployment than they would slinging lobster rolls.
Yeah, you know all about those lazy American kids who are sitting around on their fat butts like some Globe staffers who "took last week off, but it wasn’t a staycation so much as a getfattercation. I’m huge. Getting bigger, and more shameless, by the day."
Anyway, the re$tructuring, tran$formation, and shift occurring in the labor market will end in 21$t-century $lavery, folks -- and why exclude some Americans from the coronavirus stimulus?
It’s a cruel and pointless rule that hurts us all.
Americans didn’t want to work in the kitchen at JT’s Seafood Restaurant before, said Bud Noyes, owner of the “fish and chip paper-plate joint” in Brewster, and he can’t imagine they’d be any more likely to now.
OMFG!
"Somebody that's a waitress at a high-end place isn't going to work here," he said. "They're going to make less money here" than they would collecting unemployment.
How long will unemployment last?
Home rentals may also be handled differently. Instead of turning over homes every Saturday, with cleaning done in a matter of hours between guests, stays may be reduced from seven to six days a week to provide an extra day for cleaning, or rentals could be limited to every other week. Even if properties continue being turned over on the same day, the cleaning process will probably take more time.
At the Furies cleaning and linen rental service in Wellfleet, new procedures include requiring cleaners to sign a document before each shift stating they are healthy. The company will also start sanitizing equipment and cars, requiring workers to wear masks and gloves, and disinfecting touch points such as light switches and remote controls. Owner Steve Lam is raising workers’ wages to reflect these additional responsibilities, from $15 to $18 an hour to start, and will increase rates accordingly.
The business, he admits, is in “uncharted waters." “You’re staring at your employees, you’re staring at your bank book.”
I won't be $ailing your way, either.
The Nantucket Hotel & Resort, which has remained open during the pandemic, is still planning to pick up guests at the ferry, but expects some might opt to put their luggage in the van and walk to the hotel instead, said owner Mark Snider. The hotel is also offering grocery service for guests with kitchenettes; housekeeping will be reduced to every other day — unless guests prefer it more or less often — and dining room tables and treadmills in the gym will be moved 6 feet apart.
Similar precautions will be taken at Snider’s Winnetu Oceanside Resort on Martha’s Vineyard. And both properties will offer a 25 percent discount to guests staying 14 nights or more.
“In a way, it’s a throwback ... to come to a place that’s very simple and easy and safe and secure, and we have to emphasize that,” he said.
Many property owners who rent out their homes through WeNeedaVacation.com aren’t reducing rates, at least not yet. Among the 3,300 homes on the site, prices have only dropped 0.5 percent on average, according to owners Joan and Jeff Talmadge. A number of vacationers have canceled or postponed trips planned in May and June, the Talmadges said, but they’ve started to see a slight rise in bookings for later in the summer — though since the outbreak, reservations are down more than 70 percent compared to last year at this time.
The hope is that once the state starts reopening, the numbers will rise, Joan Talmadge said. With no school in session, June could be busier than usual, she said. Canceled summer camps could also drive up interest.
"There is little doubt that there will be a great pent-up demand," Talmadge said in an e-mail.
Still, fears of getting sick may override the urge to go on vacation.
The lack of income may be more of a factor.
Karen McKenna and her husband, of Westford, wanted to keep the house in Dennis that they rented in late June with their extended family, but their children, worried about exposing their 60-something parents, both of them cancer survivors, to the virus, decided it was too risky. So McKenna reluctantly canceled the reservation. It’s disappointing, she said, but “not a big deal considering what some people are going through.”
Sara Maffeo has been on the other side of these cancellations. Maffeo usually has the whole summer booked by now at her three-bedroom house in Dennisport. This year, however, she still has all of July and two weeks in August open.
“It’s a huge waiting game," said Maffeo. “Hopefully when it ends people will say, ‘I want to have a vacation and the Cape might be a good answer. It’s close. The gas prices are low, and you don’t have to get on a plane.' ”
Gas prices are actually on the rise, and who would want to fly now?
Mary Ann Paquette’s family has been going to the Cape every summer for more than 25 years. The last few seasons, the fear of sharks has kept them out of the water, but this year, the coronavirus pandemic could keep them at home.
Paquette, 80, of Paxton, is hopeful that she and her four children, 14 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and extended family will be able to spend a week in early August at the pristine four-bedroom house they’ve rented in East Orleans since 1997, but the virus has her concerned. "We plan on going," Paquette said. "Unless it's not safe."
More room on the beach for others then.
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Time for a nap on the beach:
"Quarantine fatigue has set in — and some of us seem to be social distancing scofflaws; ‘Traffic jams of people’ headed to beaches and otherwise flouting city guidance prompt a string of complaints" by Steve Annear and Dugan Arnett Globe Staff, May 4, 2020
It's a "rule," not a law -- yet.
After nearly two months of imposed isolation, and with temperatures finally swelling into the 70s, the past weekend seemed to make official what most of us have long known:
Quarantine fatigue has set in — at least among some of us.
The warm weekend weather drew crowds around Boston, and those crowds quickly drew ire. Residents — apparently frustrated with neighbors and visitors not following social distancing guidelines or wearing masks in public — flooded the BOS:311 system with complaints and calls for stricter enforcement of the recommendations aimed at stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Look at all the damn busybodies!
“Lots of people sitting on benches near others, sunbathing and breaking social distancing rules at constitution beach,” one person wrote in a complaint lodged Sunday, when temperatures reached the mid-70s. “Please block off benches to remind people they shouldn’t be socializing at this time.”
Frustrations with those who have declined to practice proper social distancing measures have existed, in some form, since the measures were first implemented back in March, as some so-called social-distancing vigilantes have sought to ensure public safety by reminding neighbors themselves, but nearly two months into a statewide shutdown, those frustrations seem to be bubbling over as spring’s arrival has propelled countless residents from their homes and toward the city’s parks and beaches.
(Blog editor salutes them)
South Boston, for instance, which emerged as a target of national scorn when photos of young people packing bars went viral over Saint Patrick’s Day weekend, has continued to serve as a hot spot for various forms of knuckleheadism.
The neighborhood, filled with young professionals drawn to the area’s plethora of trendy bars and restaurants, was the site of a number of alleged offenses over the weekend, from packed roof parties to public drinking.
“Yuppie privilege is overriding the mayors social distancing rule,” read a complaint filed to Boston’s 311 system. “Close the beaches and start arresting for public solo cup booze drinking. Yuppies walking around all day with cups full of alcohol being sloppy.”
“All day open air Frat Party,” read another. “Did city issue a permit to use public park for full day of drinking, playing games, letting dogs run off leash, no social distancing or face coverings on most, obstructing walkway, etc? This has gone on for several hours but no sight of any patrols.”
Dr. Ellie Murray, an assistant professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, said she can understand the eagerness of residents to emerge from their homes after a lengthy winter — particularly one that was followed by two months of isolation, but while she maintained that getting outside is important, both from a physical and mental health standpoint, she said creative solutions must be devised to help residents follow social distancing guidelines, which will likely need to be in place for months.
WHY?
“What makes it really challenging for people is when the message that’s coming is, ‘Oh, it’ll be another week, another two weeks,’" she said. "I think the messaging that people need to hear is, ‘Whatever happens with your job in the coming months, the [social distancing measures are] going to need to stay in place for the whole summer, if not the fall.’”
If not ever!
The frustration, meanwhile, has cut both ways.
Regular protests have begun outside the State House, where hundreds gathered Monday to call on Governor Charlie Baker to reopen the economy, and among the complaints from online vigilantes over the weekend was an outlier: someone who was apparently fed up with people sending in so many grievances. “Numerous deranged individuals with cellphones snitching on everyone,” the person wrote in their own report.
They are not an outlier, they are the majority!
For evidence of the frayed nerves, look no further than the case of the 43-year-old father from Cambridge, who, while out for a walk with his young children last month, allegedly pulled a pocket knife on a jogger and ordered him to cross the street, in an apparent effort to enforce social distancing recommendations.
See what this $camdemic ha done to people?
Boston Police Sergeant Detective John Boyle, a department spokesman, said there were no written reports for any large parties over the weekend. He said police have been advising people to wear face masks, practice social distancing, and not congregate in large crowds, in an effort to slow the spread of this virus. A statewide order requiring face coverings takes effect on Wednesday.
“If they do see something like a soccer game or something like that, they are utilizing speakers on cruisers to disperse crowds," he said. "Whether we get a 911 call or not, they are out there doing that.”
It's a soft police state -- for now.
State Police spokesman David Procopio said in an e-mail that the department had a “highly-visible presence at all state parks, beaches and reservations this past weekend, including the South Boston beaches."
In Boston, Mayor Martin J. Walsh seemed to sense the potential for trouble entering a weekend of enticing weather, reminding residents and visitors last Friday to wear masks when in public and practice social distancing.
“We are expected to see beautiful weather,” he said at the time. “What I don’t want to have to report at my next press conference on Monday [is] that people weren’t listening to us,” but there he was Monday afternoon, back at the lectern, addressing some of the reports from over the weekend.
“Quite honestly, I think that there’s still too many people not wearing masks,” Walsh said, making a point to thank those that adhered to social distancing guidelines, “and there’s a lot of people out walking. As the weather gets nicer, it’s going to really come down to individuals.”
I actually feel bad for the citizens of Boston.
It must be hell live under him.
--more--"
Related:
"No eye contact. No little nod. No smile-brows. We move through public spaces like zombies, three-quarters of our faces hidden. The rare “I come in peace” wave is for neighbors only. “I haven’t smiled at anyone in a month,” said Jack Roche, a Fordham University student living in his childhood bedroom in Brookline....."
The Globe has begun stereotyping mask-wearers as such:
Tailgaters Reincarnated as cart-gaters,
the Zig-Zaggers
The self-appointed cops
Ingrates
Space Savers
Lane Straddlers
The Nice Guy means MASSHOLE!
Kettle-hollering paper yelling pot!
"Mask-wearing has become routine, save a few scofflaws; As people emerge from their home confinement, some choose to wear masks, while others don’t, even when they know the rules" by Milton J. Valencia and David Abel Globe Staff, May 29, 2020
Not a law.
In early May, Governor Charlie Baker issued an order requiring face coverings in public places where social distancing is not possible, but some have chafed at the requirement, and in some circles masks have become a symbol of political correctness and government overreach. President Trump has refused to wear a mask in public and this week appeared to make fun of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for doing so.
I view it as a test of how submissive you are to tyranny, and I only put one on to enter a store. As soon as I am outside, off it comes.
In the Boston area, the vast majority of those encountered by Globe reporters in recent days were wearing masks. If they weren’t, they were quick to pull them out of a pocket, purse, or shoulder bag.
Did they give you the Sieg Heil salute, too?
The effectiveness of masks in slowing the spread of disease has been well documented. One recent study in the International Journal of Nursing Studies found that community mask use could be particularly beneficial in stopping pre-symptomatic patients from spreading the disease through coughing or sneezing, and was more effective than hand hygiene alone, but inconsistent health advisories about the benefits of masks at the onset of the pandemic undermined public confidence in their effectiveness, making it more difficult to convince people to wear them now, public officials and health analysts said. What’s more, American culture is not used to wearing masks for a variety of reasons, from racial stereotyping of Asian communities to a sense of machismo.
In other words, they told the truth first but were forced to change their position by whom and why?
“They feel they’re sort of looking weak,” said Steven Taylor, a professor and clinical psychologist at the University of British Columbia, who published the book “The Psychology of Pandemics” before the COVID-19 outbreak.
People may also have a psychological reaction to being told by their government to do something, Taylor said. They may be more willing to wear a mask if they felt it was helping their country, he said.
Yeah, you are crazy if you don't listen to a lying, evil government that destroyed your livelihood for no good reason.
“What’s going to happen is social pressure — peer pressure is enormously influential — and when people start wearing masks, people who don’t will feel like” they are the outsiders, he said. “Community leaders need to send out the message that you need to wear your mask, it’s a patriotic thing, and they need to wear them as well.”
That is brainwashing and downright evil!
Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera, who ordered the use of masks in public in late April, said he would have done so weeks earlier had he fully understood their effectiveness. The order allows police to fine violators $300, though officers have been passing out educational flyers — and in some cases masks — rather than tickets.
“I didn’t run for mayor to make people wear masks and kick them out of churches,” he said, “but let’s do the things we can; it’s a preventative measure, and people need to see that.”
You better back down, buddy!
Boston has not issued an order requiring masks, but police have embarked on educational campaigns to alert residents to Baker’s directive and public health guidelines. In Cambridge, police have not cited anyone for violating an emergency order mandating that residents wear face masks when they leave their homes. The order, which took effect last month, allows police to fine violators up to $300.
Not yet.
“In general, our officers have been really pleased with the compliance,” said Jeremy Warnick, a spokesman for the Cambridge Police Department, which has been distributing face masks to residents every day.
I bet they are a little busier now, huh?
In Brookline, which also mandates masks, nanny Sarah Gaudet pushed one child in a stroller while watching another ride a bike in Emerson Garden, a mask under her chin. She had it in case anyone approached “because they tell me to,” she said.
Meanwhile, Duncan Grant, 20, a student at Brown University, was running sprints on a nearby street with a mask on. “I always have it when I leave my house,” he said.
Honestly, physical activity while you are depriving yourself of oxygen is just plain f**king stoo-pid!
In downtown Canton, a hairstylist stepped out of a salon and took off her mask to sit by herself along a wall, eating a sandwich. Nearby, Jenna Terrio, 29, went for her daily lunch walk with her mask on, and dodged a man walking in the opposite direction without one.
“It’s good to have it with you, if you need to use it,” Terrio said, but in South Boston, after leaving a newly opened barber shop, Nick Turriago, 23, said he didn’t feel the need to wear a mask while getting a haircut.
“It’s just uncomfortable, and the barber didn’t mind,” he said while making his way down Broadway. “I don’t think the mask is going to make much of a difference.”
Ellen Gemba was excited to be headed to a salon for her first haircut in months. First, though, she had to stop at an ATM in downtown Canton, and sidestep the man who was exiting without a face mask.
Close $have.
“I don’t want to die,” Gemba, 62, a client manager for an insurance broker, said as she tightened her own facial covering and explained her choice to wear one. (The man told a Globe reporter he had simply left his mask in the car).
“I think it’s the only way to stop this,” she said. “This is something we have control over, and it seems a small thing to do,” but as more people emerge from home confinement and head out into the public this week, their different approaches to wearing a mask — and in some cases outright refusal — could undercut efforts to stop the pandemic’s spread.
There are those who order masks from Etsy, and some who will wear them even when alone in their car. Others take a more skeptical stance: Why wear a mask when I can cross the street? Why wear a mask if I’m not sick? How come I have to, if she’s not?
The Globe spotlighted a resettled Syrian tailor who is sharing his mask-making skills with those who guided him to safety.
In Cambridge one recent afternoon, Eric Schwartz was sitting on a stoop in Central Square, sharing a joint with a friend. Neither was wearing a mask even as others strolled by.
“I don’t need it,” said Schwartz, 26, who said he manages a nearby bed and breakfast. “I use paper towels when I have to open doors, and I run a lot.”
Exceptions should be made for certain chosen groups.
--more--"
I thought the odor wafting from the beach smelled funny:
"Despite some encouraging signs, a global pandemic rages on, and Chris Trudel, a beach guy, is among a number of people who say that even though some of the coronavirus statistics being tracked by state officials are trending downward, and a plan to reopen the economy is underway, they won’t be rushing out the front door to sit in a barber’s chair, place a blanket in the sand, or dine al fresco while 6 feet from others anytime soon. Last Monday, Governor Charlie Baker unveiled his long-awaited, four-tiered approach to kick-starting life in Massachusetts. The announcement, of course, sparked life into some business owners, who are understandably eager to resume operations and start making money again after months of little to no revenue. In some cases, people have defied the governor’s plan and skipped a few phases ahead, and while Baker’s proposal also has led to some residents fantasizing about their dream excursions after months of hunkering down — throwing close-encounter soirées, getting a haircut, or heading out for some retail therapy — a more tepid group remains steadfast in continuing on with cautious COVID-19-induced lifestyles. For Dominique Clerverseau, it also doesn’t feel safe just yet, and all of the businesses gearing up to open, she said, seem invasive. The 26-year-old South Shore resident, whose job as a manager at an indoor rock-climbing gym was put on hold because of the coronavirus, said it’s her dedication to keeping her family safe and healthy that is steering her decision to continue acting as though there’s a stay-at-home advisory in place, even as perceptions about what’s OK and what’s not begin to shift. Clerverseau, who lives with her partner and 20-month-old son, counts herself lucky, because she has savings to fall back on for now, but at the end of the day, the lure of resuming work too soon or jumping into the extracurricular activities she once enjoyed isn’t enough to make her budge. “I just think it’s better to be safe than sorry,” she said, adding that it’s possible we could see a second wave of the virus. “I’m just going to play it by ear. I have no really set plans yet. I’m just going with the flow and riding the wave." Speaking of waves, what about the beach? “Maybe I’ll go in my car with the windows down."
Time to catch a meal:
"The dining experience figures to look markedly different. According to the new measures, tables must remain six feet apart or separated by walls or six-foot-high plexiglass dividers, according to Baker’s guidelines. Parties will be capped at six people, and diners will not be allowed to sit at the bar. Menus must be disposed of after each use or otherwise be put on display or be accessible on customers’ phones. Tables and chairs must also be sanitized after each party, and utensils should be rolled or packaged. Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito said that while employees will have to wear face coverings and patrons will have to do the same when moving about restaurants, customers while seated “don’t need to wear their face covering” and they can “enjoy the experience of dining out.” Restaurants also should get diners’ contact information, whether they make a reservation or walk-in for a table, according to the guidelines. That’s similar to rules the Baker administration has imposed on other industries to track who comes and goes from their businesses. In the event of a presumptive or actual positive COVID-19 case of a worker, patron, or vendor, the restaurant must immediately shut down for 24 hours and be cleaned and disinfected before reopening. The guidelines come as many states are attempting to determine how best to reintroduce restaurant dining to their communities....."
There will even be a ball game on the TV, and who will want to patronize a place that is suddenly shut down after it opens?
You can talk a walk down the shoreline after dinner:
"The number of new coronavirus cases confirmed in the United States has steadily declined in recent days. In New York, the figure has dropped over the past month. The numbers have also plunged in hard-hit Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and some states, including Vermont, Hawaii and Alaska, are reporting few new cases at all, but that progress is tenuous and uncertain. The nation has reached a perilous moment in the course of the epidemic, embracing signs of hope and beginning to reopen businesses and ease the very measures that slowed the virus, despite the risk of a resurgence with an uptick in cases is widely predicted. Months after the virus began spreading, only about 3 percent of the population has been tested for it, leaving its true scale and path unknown even as it continues to sicken and kill people at alarming rates. More than 20,000 new cases are identified on most days. And almost every day this past week, more than 1,000 Americans died from the virus. “We’re seeing a decline; undoubtedly, that is something good to see,” Jeffrey Shaman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University, said, “but what we are also seeing is a lot of places right on the edge of controlling the disease.” The slowing of new cases is a stark change from two weeks ago....."
More predictions and lies with fatality rate way overblown.
WTF, NYT?
"New York City is on track to begin reopening June 8 as the state gradually loosens restrictions put in place during the coronavirus crisis, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday. Cuomo said the city was meeting goals set for hospital rates and testing, will “stockpile” personal protective equipment, and will focus on infection rates in hot spots by ZIP code. “We believe all of these things can be done next week,” the Democratic governor said at his daily briefing. The state saw 67 new deaths, a number he called the “lowest ever.” Also Friday, Cuomo cleared a large swath of upstate New York to reopen hair salons, retail shops, and offices under strict guidelines. Cuomo said virology experts had reviewed infection and hospitalization data and cleared the North Country, Finger Lakes, central New York, Mohawk Valley, and Southern Tier to enter the second phase of reopening. New York City is the only remaining region in the state that has yet to lift any restrictions. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the first phase of the reopening process would bring as many as 400,000 people back to work. The city is providing 2 million masks for businesses and will also offer training and a worker protection hot line, he said, but residents who don’t yet feel comfortable commuting by subway may have to improvise. Businesses normally rely on public transportation to get their employees to work in a city where fewer than half of households own a car."
Expect tourism to drop in Manhattan as coronavirus patients are to be allowed in the city.
Of course, "Upon arriving at work, employees should get a temperature and symptom check. Inside the office, desks should be six feet apart. If that isn’t possible, employers should consider erecting plastic shields around desks. Seating should be barred in common areas, and face coverings should be worn at all times. These are among sweeping new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the safest way for American employers reopening their offices to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. If followed, the guidelines would lead to a far-reaching remaking of the corporate experience. They upend years of advice on commuting, urging people to drive to work by themselves, instead of taking mass transportation or car-pooling, to avoid exposure. The recommendations run from technical advice on ventilation systems (more open windows are most desirable) to suggested abolition of communal perks like latte makers and snack bins, and some border on the impractical, if not near impossible: “Limit use and occupancy of elevators to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet.” The CDC, the nation’s top public health agency, posted the guidelines on its website as states are beginning to lift their most stringent lockdown orders. Shops, restaurants, beaches and parks are reopening in phases, but white-collar office employees at all levels mostly continue to work from home, able to function effectively with laptops, video conferencing, and Slack."
How do you like the new office?
Without aid, N.J. may have to cut 200,000 public workers
Not to worry! Governor Phil Murphy's also counting on billions of dollars from Washington, even though President Trump and Congressional Republicans have balked at allowing states to use federal assistance to fill budget holes.
Others who need help:
"On the first day of the Illinois General Assembly’s special pandemic session, in a makeshift chamber in the Bank of Springfield Center, the first order of business was to vote that everyone must wear a mask — a rule that passed overwhelmingly with bipartisan support, but there was one Republican holdout on Wednesday: state Representative Darren Bailey, who sat smiling at his desk on the floor of the arena and refused to put one on. ‘‘[If] you want to send me or anyone else outside the doors today, I understand. Go right ahead,’’ Bailey said when asked to comply, NPR Illinois reported, ‘‘but know this: If you do that, you’re silencing millions of voices of people who have had enough.’’ His colleagues on both sides of the aisle didn’t appear too worried. They kicked him out of the legislature by an 81-27 vote. ‘‘Doormen, please remove Representative Bailey,’’ said state Representative Jay Hoffman before a group of men in masks escorted the mask-less Bailey from the arena, the state’s temporary legislative home that allows for more social distancing."
Same thing happened in Pennsylvania while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said summer camps and youth activities can open without restrictions with many signs of progress in Massachusetts:
Ten arrested, four officers injured during Boston protests in support of George Floyd, police say
There are more riots planned in the days to come as Walsh prays not:
"Some clergy voice caution about reopening as COVID-19 cases continue to drop in Massachusetts" by John Hilliard and Max Jungreis Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent, May 30, 2020
As Massachusetts continued its recovery Saturday from the coronavirus pandemic, some clergy voiced caution about opening their doors too soon, while protesters at the State House blasted Governor Charlie Baker for moving too slowly in restarting the state’s economy.
They have God behind them and yet they bow to Baker.
The coronavirus has claimed the lives of 6,768 people in Massachusetts, according to the state Department of Public Health, which reported 50 new deaths on Saturday. The agency also reported 789 new cases, bringing the total number of people with COVID-19 to 96,301.
There were more signs that disease’s spread is continuing to slow. One key indicator — the seven-day weighted average of positive test rates — dipped to 7.5 percent as of Friday, continuing a steady decline. A week earlier, that average had been 8.8 percent.
The number of coronavirus hospitalizations also dropped as of Friday, when the three-day average of patients reached 2,002, from 2,070 on Thursday, the state reported, and seven hospitals in Massachusetts were using surge capacity to treat patients with COVID-19 on Friday, down from nine on Thursday.
The state’s three-day average of COVID-19 deaths increased slightly; the average was 59 as of Wednesday, one higher than the figure reported on Tuesday, according to state data.
Throughout the day, there were signs that daily life in Massachusetts was beginning to revive a bit, though it remains far from normal.
It will never be "normal" again unless these evil cretins that brought it about own up to the lies, and that ain't happening. The plan is still be advanced even as they retreat a bit.
Rabbi Alison Adler, with Temple B’nai Abraham in Beverly, said members of B’nai Abraham have formed a committee to begin early planning for what a reopening might look like, based on guidance from public health officials, and Adler and other religious leaders in Beverly recently met remotely with Mayor Michael Cahill to discuss how they can work together to help keep their community safe.
Amer Syed, president of the Islamic Center of Boston, Wayland, said that the mosque’s leadership has decided it will not reopen yet. Two members of the mosque contracted COVID-19, he said — both recovered, but the worry is that the disease could spread quickly. “Right now, the situation is still pretty unsafe,” Syed said.
Protesters outside the State House on Saturday afternoon insisted the threat of the coronavirus is exaggerated, and demanded that Baker reopen the Massachusetts economy.
Super Happy Fun America, the organizers of the straight pride parade in Boston last summer, put together Saturday’s event at the state Capitol. It follows previous demonstrations by the group earlier in the month at the State House and at Baker’s home.
Speaking into a microphone, John Hugo, the group’s president, criticized the way the closure order was handled — smaller retailers had to close their doors, while bigger stores like Walmart could remain open, he said.
Good point!
“We are here to take back Massachusetts. We are sick and tired of all this nonsense. The whole darn country is opening up, and what about us?” Hugo said.
One woman who addressed the crowd dismissed public health officials’ efforts to curtail the virus’s spread as “socialist distancing.”
Tim Moriarty of Oxford, who, along with his wife and teenage son, took turns holding an American flag on a pole, expressed doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic is as severe as official numbers make it seem.
“I believe that COVID is real, but there’s a lot of nefarious political things going on that are causing the numbers to go up,” Moriarty said. “I believe the numbers are skewed and on purpose.”
Yup!
The gathering, which appeared to draw hundreds outside the main gates of the State House, did not go unchallenged.
The ANTIFA THUGS showed up?
Five cars painted with slogans such as “REOPEN KILLS WORKERS”, “PEOPLE NOT PROFITS”, and “WHITE SUPREMACY MUST END” drove slowly down Beacon Street several times. The drivers used their horns to drown out performances of the national anthem and “This Land is Your Land.”
Soon police moved in, forming a line on Beacon Street to keep the two groups apart.....
In that case right there, I support the police.
--more--"
Time to return to your flop for the night:
"A 21-year-old man who was found bleeding next to an ATV in Marshfield Wednesday afternoon has died, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said in a statement Thursday. At 2:41 p.m., a man who was walking along Bridle Path Trail found Anthony Gill of Marshfield unconscious next to an ATV and bleeding around his head and neck, according to the statement. The engine of Gill’s four-wheeled Honda ATV was still running when the man found him, officials said. The man called 911 and first responders brought Gill to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth where he was pronounced dead at 4:53 p.m., officials said. Officials believe Gill was riding alone at the time of the crash and no foul play is suspected. The cause of the crash remains under investigation."
He should have slowed down.
"A two-alarm blaze destroyed a seasonal home on a river in Falmouth Wednesday morning, Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Smith said. Firefighters were called to a single-family home at 87 Childs River Road around 6:15 a.m., Smith said. By the time they arrived, the two-and-a-half story structure was nearly engulfed in flames. The home is a seasonal residence on the Childs River. Smith said it was unoccupied at the time of the fire. Flames tore through the home’s basement and first and second floors, Smith said. Only the home’s attached garage was untouched, he said. Firefighters from Falmouth, Mashpee, and Joint Base Cape Cod knocked the fire down about an hour and a half after arriving at the scene, Smith said. Crews were still monitoring the home for hot spots and small fires Wednesday afternoon. Smith said the home was a total loss. The cause of the fire remains under investigation."
"A woman who was med-flighted to Boston after she escaped a burning home in Falmouth on April 22 has died, marking the second fatal fire in Falmouth this month, Falmouth Fire Chief Michael Small said in a statement Monday. The woman was in critical condition after she had evacuated herself from a burning home at 1 Crystal Spring Ave around 11:30 a.m. on April 22, officials said. She was med-flighted to a Boston-area hospital and later died, officials said. Two other occupants in the home and a firefighter were taken to Falmouth Hospital with less serious injuries. A woman also died during a single-alarm fire at 663 Gifford St. in Falmouth on April 12, officials said. Small said every floor of a home should have working smoke alarms that are less than 10 years old. Residents should also have an escape plan in the event of a fire, he said. “Make sure you have an escape plan with clear pathways to two exits, so you can get out fast, and a meeting place outside,” Small said in the statement. “Time is your enemy in a fire where you may only have 1-3 minutes to escape.”
Are Antifa arsonists running wild while we are all stuck inside?
A firefighter saved clothes and blankets for resident whose apartment was gutted by the fire (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff).
Once again, no masks in the fire department.
You can't even leave flowers at the scene anymore:
"Winston Flowers announced that it would shutter three of its retail florist shops on Thursday, citing the economic losses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stores that will close are the Federal Street shop in the Financial District, which has been in operation for more than a decade, and shops in Concord and Hingham. Retail flower shops were deemed nonessential businesses at the outset of the COVID-19 outbreak, and thus required to close in an effort to stop the spread of the pandemic. Governor Baker allowed florists to reopen for business for online sales for Mother’s Day, and Winston Flowers was flooded with orders. But for florist businesses that rely so heavily on foot traffic and in-store sales, it seems even a surge in orders was not enough to ensure they could stay in their locations. Several of their other sites are still open for business, including their Boston Design Studio and Winston Flowers & Garden Center in Chestnut Hill."
At least the housing values went up after the fires:
"Toll Brothers Inc. shares surged after the company posted profit that beat estimates and said deposits on new homes were up in recent weeks, a potential sign of optimism for the luxury housing market. The home builder, which focuses on higher-end customers, has struggled during the pandemic. It reported orders for the second quarter that missed estimates and said the key metric had plunged starting March 16, when much of the economy shut down."
That was when I fell asleep with the TV on.
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
NEXT DAY UPDATES:
"A 12-year-old girl was struck by her father’s car and sustained serious injuries while she was sunbathing in the driveway of her Raynham home Sunday afternoon, Raynham fire and police officials said in a statement. Around 2:50 p.m., the girl was relaxing in the driveway of her Hall Street home when a car pulled into the driveway, not knowing she was there, officials said. Police Chief James Donovan said the vehicle was driven by her father. The vehicle partially ran over the girl, officials said. She sustained serious injuries and was treated at the scene before she was flown to Boston Children’s Hospital in a medical helicopter. Officials said she is expected to survive. The incident remains under investigation."
"A 48-year-old woman from Massachusetts died while hiking on a trail in Sandwich, N.H., Saturday morning, officials said. Aida Repuh Grabovac, of Belmont, was hiking with several friends about half a mile from the start of the Wentworth Trail when she began experiencing chest pains shortly before noon, said Kevin Jordan, chief of Law Enforcement at New Hampshire Fish and Game. Her friends called 911 for help. First responders arrived at the trail and tried to resuscitate her, but were unsuccessful. “She suffered a great onset of severe chest pain,” Jordan said. “She fell to the ground and was unresponsive before [first responders] got to the scene.” Grabovac was pronounced dead at the scene. Jordan said she was originally from Bosnia. The incident remains under investigation."
