Coronavirus on the road - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Cookie Dough · RV-Dreams Family Member

Coronavirus on the road

Barb and Frank · RV-Dreams Family Member

Cookie Dough wrote:
It's too soon to really know what will be going on in October, in past years that's been when we start our migration south to Florida.
When we left there in early April, we were concerned about heading to NY
Mostly we have remained in our bubble, venturing out for groceries and other essentials. We are driveway docking on Long Island, past summers we would head to a RV park a days travel away.

I just read an article about what the quarantine requirements are in other states. A question is, has anyone been travelling? If one hasn't left their home does that count as being in quarantine?

We have Florida tags and and a Florida address, but if we're heading southbound then we wouldn't be coming From a current epi center.

Currently we have a reservation in Lakeland FL, about 25 miles east of Tampa, for the winter.

I'm figuring there are others with same or similar situation, what are your thoughts?

Covid-19 will be with us for a long time to come, so we have to figure out how to live with it as safely as possible. We are full time and in years past we have wintered in Florida. Last year we wintered in Arizona and we are going to do the same again this coming winter. We will continue to stay on top of CDC recommendations and will wear masks in public, social distance and wash hands frequently. We are both at high risk due to age and health issues so we won’t eat inside a restaurant, go to a hair or nail salon, or gather with groups of other people. We enjoy hiking, biking and paddling and other activities where we can keep our distance from others. I am not worried about traveling through other states to get to AZ - we keep to ourselves and stay only a night or two at each stop along the way. I understand that there are quarantine rules in some states, and the states requiring a quarantine are always changing. Stay on top of the news and do the best you can. And always have a backup plan!

Tim & Robyn · RV-Dreams Family Member

Amen to that about the selfish among us. From what I've read new cases are in the younger generation who are behaving as id nothing is going on. They put us all at risk.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

We've just completed our Summer work gig with surveying road conditions in Indiana and Wyoming. Over the last 2 months or so, we've stayed in hotels, frequented convenience stores, ate in a few restaurants, and shopped at Walmart. We've done most of that in Indiana and Wyoming, but we've also crossed Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, part of Kansas and part of Colorado. All that said, Jo and I have NOT had any problems with health issues.

We are now back in Oklahoma with our work being done. Since the whole thing started, we've only worn masks in those few places that required us to wear them. Those generally being medical facilities, very few businesses and seldom anywhere else.

I think it all boils down to being careful of where one goes. With regards to the hotels, the company wants us to be in safe hotels, so they want us to stay in the better ones, largely for security for our work vans. Those things aren't anywhere close to being cheap to replace because of the vans, the sensors, lasers, and cameras, and the computer equipment inside.

Terry

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'm really disheartened to hear you brag about not wearing a mask. The mask is to prevent YOU from infecting others. I wear mine every time we go out because I don't want to infect anyone else and hope they do the same. if everyone wears one, every time they go out, we can really cut the rate of transmission and help our fellow man.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

It isn't bragging. I stated that we were careful of where we go. Most of our time we are NOT encountering very many people, and when we do go into a store where a mask is not required, we tend to watch how close we get to other people.

Just today, I went in to see my dentist. Obviously, I couldn't be wearing a mask, but all the staff and dentists were wearing them. The first time I went in after a number of years (I have dentures, so regular visits are not something happening), they took my temperature. Today's trip was one of about 4 or 5 visits at which they never took my temperature.

I'm also hesitant to believe the statistical numbers. I know of doctors that have been told to declare on a death certificate that an individual has died of Covid-19 when they actually died of other causes. From what I understand, the percentages of recovery by infected people is very high, except for perhaps those that are older and have underlying health issues. I'm 74, but overall in very good health, so I don't worry about it much. I'm also a very religious person, so I also have that comfort.

Terry

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry, it isn't just recovering. Some people are 5-6 months post infection with all sorts of problems that are lingering on. Long term damage to lungs, blood vessels (heart) and kidneys are showing up. We don't know all of the ramifications. And A LOT of older people don't realize that they have ongoing progressive disease - like kidney disease. Do you know what your GFR is? Probably not, because if it stays above 60, most physicians don't mention it. GFR means how well your kidneys are functioning. This number goes down as we age. That's just one of the examples of things we don't know. If someone tests positive for the virus the infection will exacerbate any other condition, so that often the patient will die. If you are shot by a bank robber and your blood won't clot because of use of anti-coagulants and die on the way to the hospital, I guarantee you will be listed as dying from a gun shot wound and the defendant won't be able to argue in court that he didn't kill you because you had some other health problem.

PIEERE · RV-Dreams Family Member

Gosh; Maybe I best keep my horse out of this post! Well; here goes!! I have many health issues as most of you seen from my posts. I do use my mask when I go shopping; a few choice restaurants; Healthcare appointments and other businesses. I live in a 5th wheel with approximately 150 rvers. I have maybe 10 people I social within 6' space.
I hope if I do die it i not with either Alzheimer's or this COVID; but I don't have a choice of any this. Only the good Lord will! In the mean time and possibly after September I am going to see my daughter and family in Michigan! And I will use the mask there.
I am cautious but I am not going to do the little bit of good times before my time is up! PIEERE

vannchan · RV-Dreams Family Member

Here is a physician-related site which contains information related to masks (you can copy/paste url): https://aapsonline.org/mask-facts/

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'll follow CDC and AMA guidelines. Several universities have field effectiveness of masks using droplets and even cloth masks will reduce the amount of transmission AS WELL AS DISTURB THE AIR FLOW SO THAT MUCH OF THE DROPLETS GO UP rather than out. If you get 50% of reduction in what is released by the person with virus, and the other person is wearing a mask, only 50% of the 50% will get through the mask. No one said it was perfect. But we have real time evidence of effectiveness - two hairdressers with the virus had 140 different customers. EVERYONE was wearing a mask. None of the customers became infected!

Contrast with schools now being open with kids not wearing mask, every day more and more cases reported among the students.

Someday · RV-Dreams Family Member

Finally 1st August (why they had to give us almost 3 weeks notice beforehand baffles me instead of immediate effect!) Calgary, the nearest city to us for shopping purposes, finally the Mayor mandated mask wearing in all public places. Finally!

Alas the loopholes are so huge and the fines so small, those of us that have been masking in public, to protect others from us since first lock down in mid March just shake our heads. The rulings are businesses have to post that masks are mandatory or be fined $200. They can't refuse to serve someone or question them why, if they are not wearing a mask???? Fines are $50 for non mask wearing = how you affect that is beyond me when you can't ask a person why they aren't wearing it and it's so low why bother having a fine?

Shame it took this to get more and more folks on board with this, but I shake my head how many wear them under their chin. I tell everyone that complains about mask wearing: if you don't like wearing a mask, trust me you'll absolutely hate being intubated.

What can you do except hold onto my grandmother's sage words to me as a very young woman. "Two wrongs don't make a right my gal".

-- Edited by Someday on Tuesday 18th of August 2020 10:17:14 PM

AmandaStone · RV-Dreams Community Member

Hi,

in my humble opinion it all depends on your own responsibility.
if you use everything to protect yourself from coronavirus, you're gonna be fine

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Amanda: I wish that was true. We have a 20-year-old niece who is very responsible about wearing a mask, because she lives with someone older and is a very responsible person. But she had to go back to work in retail and some customer gave her Covid. She was sick at home for 3 weeks and a few weeks later still has lingering problems.

Someday · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sadly Amanda and Tricorn, it's a bit like car accidents. You can do everything in your power, short of not being on the road to prevent them, but they can easily be fatal through another's actions. The same is true with COVID-19.

Remember I wear my mask and/or distance to help protect you, and I am thankful to those that wear their's to help protect me, alas there are still too too many out there, that are "tired" or worse still "don't believe, think it's hype" about the virus. They are the ones that are causing the rates of infection in our area to more than double again in recent weeks.

I've met all too many that think sanitizing/washing of hands, mask wearing and social distancing is all ridiculous, and too much emphasis is on the damage to the economy than to people's future health, well being or demise. We all knew from the day 1 lockdowns it would only be a matter of a short time before financials overtook the priority of our health. Sure there can be balance but "EVERYONE" has to be on board with doing what's necessary to make it all work safely. Sadly the latter like many things in life will never ever happen.

I feel for your niece Bill. Both hubby and I have very long term ongoing lingering effects from it, our daughter on the other hand doesn't appear to at age 29 now. Alas we've also locally lost healthy 19 and 20 year olds to this and others have had amputations and transplants so it isn't an old person's problem it's everybody's.

Stay safe ya'll.