This week’s shopping excursion happened at ALDI.
The carts, which usually require a quarter to be removed and filled, were disconnected and free. That was nice. (wink)
There were fewer signs and less people. There were smiling eyes, just a few. EVERYONE wore a mask, which is what the Illinois governor still requires we do while shopping in “essential” businesses here.
As I write this, my cell phone alerted me that the Illinois National Guard is distributing one million masks, for free, and telling me where to go to get them.
A friend of mine purchases masks each week from True Value. They are delivered there on Fridays, she tells me. She carries extras in her purse, handing them out to folks that aren’t wearing one. She does ask them first, which is nice.
Back to shopping… There were “THIS IS WHAT 6 FEET LOOKS LIKE” circles in front of the dairy refrigerator case, in case you haven’t seen a teenager lately. Despite this, there was a sweet interchange with someone, as a man held the door for me so that I too, could get butter. Our eyes smiled at each other, grateful for the respite, I think. “ONLY 2” was written on a sign and pasted on that butter shelf, so I bought both. Some mental gymnastics demanded that I do, thinking “maybe next week it will say ‘only 1’”.
The checkout line followed one row of arrows down one aisle. It was long and we were NOT 6 feet apart. No one rushed in to tell us where to stand.
There were no bullhorns and music played from the ceiling.
One customer was clearly uncomfortable beneath his mask. His forehead was perspiring and he looked nervous. It did not occur to me to avoid him, and to be honest, only now did it occur to me that he may have been running a fever. I spoke to him, about where the line began. He nodded his thanks, and moved behind me with his very full shopping cart, still sweating.
The cashier was encircled with a rigid plastic shield, similar to the one at Costco.
As I walked to my car, I removed my mask, enjoying the breeze. It was a relatively warm spring day. Driving away, I had to wait for a gentleman wearing a double-barreled N-95 mask. It was HUGE. He had a very long, very gray ponytail braided down his back. The mask looked older than he did.
A few days later, we decided to experiment with a Bitcoin ATM. We’ve been hearing about them and located one at a food/liquor store about 5 miles from here. We brought our masks and gloves and some cash. We put them on when we arrived.
It was a small store. The sign, which had a photo of a mask on it, was not written in English. We walked in and the owner stepped out from the back room. He did not have a mask. He did not really smile, but seemed to smirk at our masks.
There were no circles or arrows or signs inside the store.
The ATM was squished in between the counter and stacks of canned beverages. The transaction was quick and pretty intuitive and we were impressed.
We decided to check out the store before leaving. Two other patrons entered, neither wore masks. We didn’t see anything we needed, so we walked out.
We both noticed that the cashier was shielded behind plastic wrap. It looked hastily applied between the register and the shelf with takeout gum and breath mints. It was loose and wrinkly.
One more excursion, just yesterday. As Mother’s Day approaches, I decided to broach the subject of a visit with my son who lives near enough to be here. He feels that the only absolute safe way to do so is if we all were tested first. There are several reasons for that, and they are not the point.
So, we found a drive through test site, a forty-minute drive from home. We arrived around 2:30 PM yesterday. The hours are listed at 8AM until 4PM.
There were several signs that said “COVID TESTING SITE”. You couldn’t miss it.
We drove right up to a handful of orange signs and flags and 2 security guards in black masks. Beside them was a sign that said “CLOSED”.
So, I rolled down the window and said “Why?”.
“We are out of tests.”
“How many do you have?”
“600 per day.”
“What time did you run out?”
“Around 11 AM.”
“We don’t live around here, what do you suggest we do then?”
“People start lining up at 5AM. If I were you, I’d be here by 6AM to be sure I get a test.”
“Thank you.”
Note that he stood 6 feet away from our car for this entire conversation. There were signs telling us NOT TO ASK the Security Personnel any questions.
Here’s the point. The “Re-open Illinois” statistics are based on a percentage. There are stages, and before we can move to stage 3, (we are currently on shelter at home in stage 2), we have to have 14 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF LESS THAN 20% OF CASES TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID19.
There are other criteria as well. Research tells us that the number is not 600 because they ran out of tests, but that they can only read 600 per day at the laboratory. They have plenty of tests, according to our research.
This tells us that this state, and probably at least a few others, are determining whether or not the economy can open on faulty data. That percentage is supposed to represent the entire population of an area. It does not. If our tests were included, it would be two more negatives, and would raise the statistic/percentage. We are neither sick nor have we been sick since this “shelter in place” began. We do not have Covid19.
Only those who are sick are getting tested. Only those with enough time or a car are getting tested. This is not the population. This is a subset of folks and not representative of an entire population of people who are mostly well. The numbers are high because they are based on an invalid assumption. The % they are able to determine is inordinately skewed towards the sick.
Do you see? The rules are making it difficult to get a test without a doctor’s order. There are just 3 drive through testing sites that you can utilize in this county, and the nearest for us was 40 minutes. We’d have to, should we return, wait in line for several hours in order to get tested.
To be honest, we are hesitant. Anything given for free by the government in its current form deserves to be questioned. We saw a clip yesterday from California, not remembering the county, of an official who was announcing that they will remove you from your home if you tested positive and did not have a separate bathroom to utilize. This is outrageous.
Something has gone terribly wrong in this country. In the wake of fear and control that rolls in now on the heels of that first case in February, we are, to varying degrees and willingness, handing in our authority card.
I get it, I do. This is unprecedented. Yet, it does not cause deafness or blindness. Fear does that. We need to be on the lookout for everything that brings that up. This out of control response by some governments is causing more harm than it is safety.
A constant state of anxiety will only weaken our immune systems faster. We must retain our internal reservoir of strength and inquisitiveness and intelligence. We are not subjects. We are citizens.
Please broaden your research. Vitamin C and Vitamin D in sufficient amounts will restore and protect your immune system from harmful effect. This video has been removed as fast as it is being shared. It is powerful. Please share.
We’ll get through this. I’ve seen the ending and it is a happy one.
I believe in you. I believe in us. I believe in love.
Sophia
