There were 73,000 new cases of COVID-19 in Florida yesterday, July 24, 2021. Florida can now boast one fourth of the cases in the United States as the Delta variant rages across the country. Florida leads the country in cases and hospitalizations. In Orlando, a woman reported on her trip to a local hospital. Has had to go to the hospital frequently for outpatient care and her doctor sent her to the ER. She is used to being wheeled straight in but not this time. Patients lines every hallway, some curling up in the middle of the floor. Paramedics waited in line to drop off patients. Social distancing was impossible. Some people lowered their masks to cough and then lifted them back up, while a woman vomited into her hands two feet in front of her.
Because of the recent surge in cases, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has advised that everyone should wear masks when in crowded places indoors. Of course everyone interprets “Crowded” differently. Some folks don’t think a room is crowded unless their nose is physically inside someone else’s open mouth and their nipples are pressed up against someone else’s chest.
I had promised my class a trip to an air conditioned restaurant to sketch on location before the Delta variant surge had gained steam. I let them all know that we could go if they agreed to all wear their masks the entire time we were inside the restaurant. In an overheard conversation one man said that Panera is less crowded on Sunday, which was the day we were there to sketch. The place was packed. Staff all wore masks and I noticed that the cashier washed his hands each time he handled money.
Besides my students, no one in the restaurant was wearing masks. Most of the students ordered food and drink and after eating only one student put her mask back on. I respected another student who put her mask on any time I approached to give advise or notes. I chose to eat at a table outside and then came back in to get a quick sketch. I worked on my tablet at first but the battery died, so I did this second sketch on paper which never blinks off and dies.
Since my students didn’t follow my advised safety protocol, I will not be bringing them to any other venues. From now on classes will be held outside on the Crealde campus where they can go mask less. With CDC guidance contradicting local advice, people are left to navigate a grey area of health and safety measures. If you give people the option to ignore science, they will live in joyful ignorance every time.