Want to travel to a NH destination? Not Yet.

[Mike P.]

TCD, Thanks for letting me know about testing being very available. Scouts have shut down more or less for the summer, however, if or when we move back indoors, it sounds like leaders could get tested beforehand.

I didn't read the article, was the premise that if people were protesting in cities, tourist who would have been there stayed home? It appears that much of the Florida increase are younger people who, thankfully are not as sick either. While the protesters had a varied demographic age-wise, I believe that many were in the age groups near the Florida age groups also. (If they don't quarantine or realize they are sick, they will spread it to others)

 

[rup]

A lot of this is overdone. The person in front of me at Dunkin Donuts this am insisted that the server don new gloves to serve her!

An opinion from a VffT immunologist would be helpful.

 

[sierra]

A lot of this is overdone. The person in front of me at Dunkin Donuts this am insisted that the server don new gloves to serve her!

An opinion from a VffT immunologist would be helpful.

Gloves hold germs quite well once used. While it was inconvenient for the server, her gloves if worn for multiple customers were defiantly compromised. "Overdone" that definition can vary from person to person. He might have an elderly parent at home, such a scenario would warrant extreme caution. This Virus is a learning experiment for everyone, it's prudent to be flexible and tolerant until we learn all the facts.

 

[Mike P.]

Gloves hold germs quite well once used. While it was inconvenient for the server, her gloves if worn for multiple customers were defiantly compromised. "Overdone" that definition can vary from person to person. He might have an elderly parent at home, such a scenario would warrant extreme caution. This Virus is a learning experiment for everyone, it's prudent to be flexible and tolerant until we learn all the facts.

Which server, what are they doing? If just pouring coffee or cooking and not touching anything the public touches, not handing food or drinks to the person, then it should be unnecessary. If that person is also handling money that goes from other customers to clerk, and then redistributed to new customers, then it's a concern. Maybe not "overdone", however, it may be overly thorough.

 

[skiguy]

Which server, what are they doing? If just pouring coffee or cooking and not touching anything the public touches, not handing food or drinks to the person, then it should be unnecessary. If that person is also handling money that goes from other customers to clerk, and then redistributed to new customers, then it's a concern. Maybe not "overdone", however, it may be overly thorough.

Looks like our VFFT immunologist just checked in.

 

[ChrisB]

A lot of this is overdone...

Well, I guess it's a judgement call made from different points of view.

The server wants to protect herself from the legions of customers she attends to every hour. She wears gloves to do so. Reasonable

The customer wants a low risk interaction and knows those gloves have been in contact with a lot of people. She asks for fresh ones. Reasonable.

I you go to a medical appt and a nurse greets you in the gloves she wore for the previous patient, what you gonna do?

 

[sierra]

Which server, what are they doing? If just pouring coffee or cooking and not touching anything the public touches, not handing food or drinks to the person, then it should be unnecessary. If that person is also handling money that goes from other customers to clerk, and then redistributed to new customers, then it's a concern. Maybe not "overdone", however, it may be overly thorough.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you never worked directly with the public or in a restaurant. Otherwise you just being annoying.

 

[David Metsky]

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you never worked directly with the public or in a restaurant. Otherwise you just being annoying.

Mod Note
This isn't helpful. Dial back the snark directed at other posters.

 

[ChrisB]

Here's some good news for those of us who recreate outdoors.

A few recent studies are showing that chances of infection are low if you are outdoors and wear a mask. Indoor venues are much less safe.

This conclusion was drawn from the lack of subsequent infections in attendees at mass demonstrations over the past month.

So go take a hike! (with mask at the ready)

 

[JustJoe]

I was on Mt Washington Thursday. With the only way to get up there of you don't hike being drive yourself up the auto-road, it was the least amount of people I've ever seen up there non-winter. I'd say maybe 3-4 dozen while I was there. About 20% were wearing masks.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

About 20% were wearing masks.

Were they all on top of each other (non-mask-wearers)? I have been on 3 4000-footer-type hikes in June and have not seen much in the way of masks, but every passing encounter has been very brief.

Tim

 

[DayTrip]

I was on Mt Washington Thursday. With the only way to get up there of you don't hike being drive yourself up the auto-road, it was the least amount of people I've ever seen up there non-winter. I'd say maybe 3-4 dozen while I was there. About 20% were wearing masks.

Last SAT on Washington I saw about the same amount of people on the summit and only a couple of people had masks. Two people had sub 1 year old kids - no masks of any sort. Really didn't see any groups bigger than 7-8 people though and the groups were all pretty much staying well apart from each other. Never saw more than 6 or 8 people at the summit sign at any one time.

 

[JustJoe]

Never saw more than 6 or 8 people at the summit sign at any one time.

Even less on a weekday. One of the few advantages of what's going on right now.

 

[JustJoe]

Were they all on top of each other (non-mask-wearers)?

Tim

So with this damned virus, there's still way more not known than known. First, when I went to the east side to take pics, there were about 15ish on the stairs going in both directions. Some, huffing and puffing to get up. It was very breezy. We know the virus can be spread airborne. One good sneeze from a "positive someone" 20' away with a good gust, and it's right in your face. I choose, with this, to be overly cautious. Because it will be me that gets that errant microscopic droplet of virus up his nose.

 

[Mike P.]

Looks like our VFFT immunologist just checked in.

Rub some dirt on it...

If qualified for anything, I've been working food service prior to Covid-19 and the division of labor (volunteers for project Grad at sporting events in CT) is usually such that some come into constant contact with things other people touch & into contact with the customers and some do not & almost work secluded from the others.

 

[Mike P.]

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you never worked directly with the public or in a restaurant. Otherwise you just being annoying.

First job was food service actually, was an essential employee back in the 78 Blizzard and washes pots several days 12 hours a day... More recently at sporting events as a volunteer. Mostly running fryolators in the back. No one but me and the other cook touches the frozen food, the freezers they are in or the baskets food is fried in, wearing gloves for food borne illnesses. If we leave area we remove gloves and replace them. Because we had baskets dripping hot oil, people in prep areas back away to prevent being burned so we kept distance when encroaching in their work area. That prep area was more than six feet from customers.

Thanks Dave, He was far less snarky than back in the old days of the board here or over at the old Mountains & Molehills on AMC's boards back in the day. To answer your question Sierra, even in food service, I've done my best to stay away from the public, hence hiking solo. My very brief Wendy's career (two days left for a higher paying job as a teen) was working the grill.

 

[hikerbrian]

Testing is readily available. I just got tested (negative, happily) because I traveled to visit an ill elderly relative. It was easy and convenient, and the clinic told me that if I had not had insurance, it would have been free.

If more people have not been tested, it's because they've chosen not to. (I suppose we could force people to get tested...)

TCD, where do you live? I tried to get tested last week in MA. It's not clear on mass.gov how much it costs out of pocket, and insurance reimbursement is opaque as well. Nevertheless, I was going to visit my parents last weekend and figured I'd pay out of pocket if needed. I wouldn't think it could cost more than a couple hundred bucks. Anyway, the closest testing facilities said to just show up in the parking lot and give them a call when you get there. So I drove the 15 minutes to the nearest testing facility, went through a lengthy set of questions over the phone, and was then informed it would be 3-8 days before I got results. This timeline was not at all useful as I was to see my parents in 2 days. So I didn't bother. I don't see how a 3-8 day turnaround is at all consistent with a reasonable fighting chance at identifying and containing local outbreaks. To be honest, I'm floored that this is the situation here in MA. A little bit angry, really.

 

[Mike P.]

Four to six days, daughter went to Eastern CT drive thru today. We are thinking of family get tested before we talk my mother-in-law out of nursing home for a week at NJ shore. private beach and we would not go out anymore than we do here. My wife and her sister visit their mom outside her window, thankfully she is on the ground floor. So through my wife and here sister, they either have passed to each other and all of us or none of us. Testing is available, the labs are backlogged.

Nephew is a MD (in SC so he's busy) so waiting to hear from him on whether or not we all get test this week or next.

 

[alexmtn]

I did a drive-through test as part of my provider's pre-op sequence for an elective (finally) procedure. Results came in less than 24 hrs. It was of the original nasal 'swab' (extreme euphemism) variety. Should have kept my seatbelt fastened -- I can still see the skull-shaped impression in the car's headliner.

 

[hikerbrian]

Alex, hope the procedure went well!

I've dug around a bit the past couple of days. Most hospitals have their own in-house testing facilities. For admitted and symptomatic individuals, as well as those having elective procedures, the in-house lab will produce results in less than 24 h. For asymptomatic testing, it's usually 3+ days, as samples will be sent out to a facility separate from where it was collected. This seems to be true everywhere, not just MA, though some states also have a backlog (MA does not seem to have a backlog right now).