h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Possibly.

There may be a subtler issue, though. From March through about May, hospitals like the one where I had my procedure stopped doing colonoscopies altogether, and used the space for treating Covid-19 patients. So, the greater danger would have been to the people coming for colonoscopies after the space began to be used for them again. But taking this a step further, if any colonoscopy patients had the Covid-19 virus, no one wanted the liability of the virus escaping into the clinic.

Every hospital around here is screening and testing everyone before procedures and exams.

I'm glad to hear that. Texas is not the poster child for taking Covid-19 seriously, though I guess docors and nurses would have to do their jobs properly no matter where they were.

The hospitals are instituting these policies on their own. The governor has instituted rules for areas based on hospital recorded positivity rates, specifically if a region has hospital positivity rates above 15% for 7 consecutive days several shutdown policies are supposed go into effect like shutting down bars and restricting restaurants down to 50% capacity (currently 75%). However, my local county judge (more like a county administrator, no judicial responsibilities but rather is responsible for such things as emergency response) has used some iffy logic arguing that the positivity rates don't apply because of how the regions are designated so therefore he will not be enforcing any shutdowns. I've met the guy, he's is a part owner of a local brewery and he's also a tea party libertarian.

I've had a couple of routine visits to my hosp (although one re-located to a small community outpatient hosp) & one just to collect something. Mask wearing & hand sanitiser required. Just screening questions but no COVID test. I think it all depends on the nature of the procedure & local protocol.

I must admit, with the higher transmission rate of this new variant, & increasing no of cases in my area, I feel a bit more anxious. But I'm just carrying on being careful as I have been all along.

I've been dutifully wearing masks whenever I go into a public building. When I'm utside, if I don't expect to pas within six feet of anyone, I don't wear a mask, though I might carry one in my hand just in case.

I wear a mask practically everywhere these days apart from on the sea front and in my own house.

MY masks are getting somewhat old and ragged and dirty.

All over 60s were issued with FFP masks for free a few weeks ago here in German.

At Christmas we were allowed to sing in church. We were up by the organ, only about half a dozen of us and we all had to stand well apart and sing solo. Churches were not allowed to be heated so you could see your breath.

Even with the mask on, I could see my breath in front of me. Not as much as with the mask off, but it was worrying nonetheless.

I was quite impressed that my homemade masks didn't show 'frost' breath.
We did carol singing round the village, as permitted. Stood in two groups, each side of the road, everyone standing about 1m or so apart side by side. Felt a bit near at times, but no-one facing closer than 2m. Instead of knocking with a collecting tin, we had cards to put through doors when knocking, to ask people to donate to our chosen charity direct.

Haven't been out enough to wear my stock of masks out. Made enough so some probably only worm once!

I am proud of you all!

Singing in unheated churches, or going out into the cold air to do caroling. Singing with masks on!

When I wrote my story about Christmas in Crepuscular Meadows, I imagined carolers singing with masks on, yet I haven't heard of anyone actually doing that. It always seemed like a possible option, but the church I sometimes used to attend has an all virtual choir.

I've done warming up with mask on, but it gets a bit wet & mucky after that, so in the few weeks of rehearsals we had in Sep/Oct, most of the singing was without masks.

We're well used to unheated churches & Winter carol singing. Multiple layers of clothing, thick socks, hats, gloves etc!

To be honest, a mask actually helps warm up the air so you can breathe it.

And I wear an overcoat over a sportcoat over a short-sleeved shirt over a long-sleeved shirt, over pants. Lots of loose layers, and it feel warm enough.

So, yes, I know it can work, and it does work. I just would rather not be outside in cold weather for longer than 30 or 40 minutes. Maybe moving around, though. I'm old, and I feel the cold more than I used to.

But it's awful being cooped up in a house for months on end. Who wouldn't want to leave it? Cabin fever and SADD.

I feel that there are things I could be doing in my trailer park. I'm the secretary of my tenants' association, and we haven't had a board meeting since last April!

We don't even get updates form the park managers, yet we *own* the park.

Yes, I've found a mask more useful than a scarf on Winter walks.
I feel the cold a lot, so I always have more layers than most people - there are others in our choir who are OK with much less on. Hubby goes out for walks in T shirt, cotton sweater & coat unbuttoned. Does wear hat & gloves though.
Moving around (if you are able to do so) is certainly the way to keep warm. Doing the washing up helps too! Sometimes hard to get motivated to move.

Winter is the worst time for lockdown. Having been propelled into retirement by COVID & voluntary activities ceased, I feel a bit aimless at times.
At least we can still go out for walks & I enjoy just looking out of the window. We have a muntjac & baby visiting us most days & some very lively squirrels.

Better times will come, eventually...

I enjoy the morning sun streaming through my window.

I've reduced the walks.. Best to be rather more cautious with newer variants about. Plus the weather has been rather unpleasant. Hope everyone is doing well and is not too stir crazy.

I do much of my walking inside.

My trailer is far longer than it is wide. I can walk forty feet down the hall, then turn around and walk back. That's an eighty foot round trip. A hundred of these round trips is 8,000 feet. That's one and a half miles, or a little more than two and half kilometers.

Wow, you'd have to be motivated to sustain that!
We haven't been out so much with the bad weather, or not so far because paths so muddy & slippery. Even in the foul weather, it is good to get outdoors into the daylight - so often need to put the room light on in daytime.
Snow over at my Mum's house today.

I don't actually walk 8,000 feet per day, though I did just that yesterday, counting two round trips to a mail box a quarter of a mile away, plus some indoor walking.

I was amused to see on TV yesterday, the tennis players practicing in hotl isolation in Australia. Running in bedrooms & hitting balls against mattresses.