The next day, we decided not to attend any more gatherings, even though very good friends had decided to have a brunch the coming Sunday. We made our decision because they were closing all the public buildings within the village and people's children and grandchildren were turning up in the community and we felt that would increase the risk of exposure to COVID 19. We continued to go for walks and rides around the community. We started ordering groceries online and switched our prescriptions to a pharmacy with a drive-thru window. We started collecting our mail with disposable gloves and letting it sit for several hours (sometimes days, depending on what it was) before opening it. All deliveries, whether from the grocery store or Amazon get wiped down and disinfected. (Except fresh vegetables - we only wash those, we don't disinfect them.)
A few days after all the indoor facilities were closed they closed the pools. I don't believe the virus survives in chlorinated water but I think they were concerned about the lounge chairs and tables and other surfaces, as well as the lack of social distancing in that environment.
Even a week later, Florida cases of the virus were still in and around Miami. I still felt safe enough to play golf the following week. They'd removed all the rakes, locked all the on-course restrooms, and raised the cups off the ground so the balls didn't drop in. No need to touch anyone else's stuff and golf is not much of a contact sport as long as you refrain from "high-fiving" people. People were being very conscious about keeping the recommended six feet apart.
We continued to go for walks and rides around the community. Until yesterday when it was reported that our community had it's first case of COVID 19 and there were 46 cases reported in the county (out of a population of 686K). Today there are 63. There are about 15K people in our community. Math was never my strong suit, but if you follow the model, each person who gets it infects 2.4 other people. It's kind of like compound interest, only faster. So we can expect the number of cases in our community to rise exponentially. Now the pickleball and tennis courts have been closed and they will probably close the golf courses soon, if they haven't already.
In light of these new developments, we've decided to follow the guidelines they're following in England and Germany, which are far more stringent than here. No more walks. We're only going outside into our semi-enclosed courtyard and onto our screened-in lanai.
We just have to remember to keep our garage door shut. Mark's workshop is visible when the garage door is open and it seems to attract men like a magnet.
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