Pam’s Birthday

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For Pam’s Birthday we decided to head to Melbourne Florida to take a chance that a beach might not be too crowded. We both packed out face masks and a light picnic. There was a 40% chance of rain but that is the case pretty much every day in the summer. On the drive out we passed a tractor trailer semi that was engulfed inn flames. The cab of the truck had pulled away from the cargo trailer and it was billowing black smoke and flames. Pam claimed she saw the word magic on the side of the trailer so we thought it might be from the Magic basketball team.  I mused that it might be full of basketballs that were now fuel for the fire. There were no police n the scene when we drove by but as we made out way south on 95, fire trucks an ambulance and police rushed to the scene driving north.

We both agreed that if the beaches were too crowded we would turn around and head home. The first roadside parking lots for beaches were more crowded that we had ever seen them. The lots were full and cars were parking on the grass. Between beaches cars were parked on the side of the road and people hiked to the beach trails. We refused to stop and kept driving south agreeing that Sebastian inlet would be as far south as we would dare to drive. The further south you go the closer you get to the Miami plague.

Sebastian Inlet State Park was closed because it was at capacity. We saw the Inlet beach when we drove over a bridge and people were social distanced on the beach. Clearly park staff kept it that way. Pam noticed one small parking spot which wasn’t super crowded and we decided to stop. We agreed to walk out on the boardwalk and if the beach was crowded we would leave. We wore our masks just in case we passes people on the walk out to the beach.

The beach was really deserted. A few people were fishing. We found a spot about 50 yards between groups of fishers and set up out umbrella and towels. The water was a gorgeous aqua greenish blue, almost Mediterranean. Masks came off and we headed out into the surf. There was a steep drop of right off shore but the water felt glorious. Pam stayed out much longer than me. I did a quick sketch and then we both napped on out towels, Pam in the sun and me in the shade of the umbrella. The whole time no one approached within 50 yards of us. No one caught a fish all afternoon.  A sea turtle wallowed out in the waves, perhaps thinking of coming ashore but instead it swam back out. Sea turtles are thriving because of the Covid-19 pandemic, because there are fewer humans to disturb them. When it was time to pack up and leave, our face masks went back on for the trek back to the car. It was a glorious relaxing day. I have been focusing on the worst of the pandemic for months and it felt good to drift off to sleep listening to the waves and feeling the sea mist on my skin.

Resurgence in Dating and COVID-19

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A dating app for wealthy people sees their members getting ready to date on the Fourth of July weekend despite social distancing rules still being in effect. Men and women who have been in isolation for months are desperate to score a date. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, online dating has taken off. Messaging on Hinge increased 30%, and Tinder saw its biggest day ever on March 29, with over 3 billion swipes. People have more time to talk online.

The virus is primarily spread, through respiratory droplets. And this is why it’s important to maintain that physical distance. Because you don’t know who has it and who doesn’t. And so, if people act irresponsibly and go out wanting to meet people, well then we’re gonna create new chains of transmission. Writing love letters is quite romantic.

With  a resurgence of COVID-19 cases hitting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered Bars closed though he refuses to consider a step back in his phase 2 re-opening plan. On June 26, 2020 there were 8,942 new COVID-19 cases on , shattering the previous record of 5,508 set just two days ago. New Case counts keep rising by about 1000 cases each day. DeSantis said the order was issued because many people were disobeying the state’s reopening guidelines. “People weren’t following it,” the governor said. “There was widespread noncompliance, and that led to issues. If folks just follow the guidelines, we’re going to be in good shape. When you depart from that, then it becomes problematic.” He however  refuses to make mask wearing mandatory state wide.

Back in April while NYC was suffering from the onslaught of the deadly virus, the governor claimed victory over the virus when he visited the president at the White House. “Everyone in the media was saying Florida would be like New York or Italy and that has not happened,” he said. “We had a tailored and measured approach that not only helped our numbers be way below what anybody predicted, but also did less damage to our state going forward.” Now he has to eat his words.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in response, ” look at the numbers, You played politics with this virus, and you lost.” “It was never politics. It was always science,” Cuomo said. He  criticized other state leaders’ response to the coronavirus pandemic Thursday June 25, 2020, saying some states who rushed to reopen their economies were playing politics.

Dr. Anthony Fauci in testimony before a congressional committee said on Tuesday that the rate of new coronavirus infections could more than double to 100,000 a day if current outbreaks were not contained, warning that the virus’s march across the South and the West “puts the entire country at risk.” “We have a very heterogenous country, but heterogeneity doesn’t mean that we are not intimately interconnected with each other,” Fauci said. “So what goes on in one area of the country, ultimately could have an effect on the other areas of the country.”

Vice President Mike Pence wore a face mask to a public briefing on Tuesday June 30, 2020 where the message from the surgeon general and others was clear: Americans should to do the same while in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The vice president and others removed their masks only when delivering remarks. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said “When you do not wear your face covering, we end up in a situation where you see higher rates of disease spread and you end up having to close places. This mask, this face covering, actually is an instrument of freedom for Americans if we all use it.”

Today July 2, 2020 Florida reached a new milestone surpassing a 1000% increase in COVID-19 cases since it re-opened.

Creative Social Distancing

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I began to teach summer camps and started to think about creative social distancing solutions. Kids are notorious for not social distancing, and I didn’t want them to give each other the virus to take it home to their parents or grand parents. Children are less likely to develop severe symptoms but I was also concerned for instructors and their families.

On May 22, 2020 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that all children’s summer activities including Summer Camps would be allowed to re-open after two months of lock down. He said this would be safe because children appear to be less susceptible to complications from the virus. “Our kids have been out of organized activities for a couple months now,” he said. “We need to have a pathway to get it back.” he said.

Broward and Miami Dade Counties voted against opening summer camps. They felt three things had to be in place, social distancing, face masks and sanitation. Pediatricians had mixed opinions about whether the move is too hasty. Dr. Bruce Peters, said, “Children could infect the people they live with, including grandparents who may be compromised because of age, and it could cause another peak, another outbreak of COVID. There are so many factors we can’t control.”

An 11 year old is the youngest person to die in Florida and some children have been infected and become critically ill. State data show that 1,049 children 14 or younger had contracted the COVID-19 virus as of Thursday May 21, 2020 and forty-two children were hospitalized. In one hospital case study, a child tested positive for COVID-19 and was infectious for 17 days while showing no symptoms such as a temperature or cough. Children might be infectious for longer than adults while remaining asymptomatic.

DeSantis said he would leave it up to parents to decide whether their children participate in summer camp activities. So, with no effective leadership from Federal, State or County officials it became the responsibility of camp instructors to come up with possible ways to get kids to social distance. My first students were troopers about keeping their face masks on. I spoke to them about hand washing and wiping down anything they picked up before I started any art instruction. Temperature checks before entering the classroom were re-assuring but not a guarantee since anyone can be asymptomatic and still spread the virus.

Social Distancing was the difficult conundrum. I searched online for creative solutions. Restaurants put manikins, cardboard cut outs of celebrities or ghosts in empty seats to fill out a room. I liked huge plush toys like Sea Otters, Teddy Bears, or Panda Bears filling the seats. One restaurant had large plastic cup shields that surrounded diners like the cone of silence in Get Smart. One restaurant had individual greenhouses placed outside for diners. Partitions and shower curtains actually do little to stop the virus since they are not sealed off. Pool Noodles strapped to hats seemed fun as well a very large Burger King crowns the size of hoop skirts. Cardboard dragon sculpts seemed a perfect solution for a video gaming summer camp.

I was told that an Orlando Bar downtown had Halloween skeletons seated in empty seats. Considering the meteoric rise in COVID-19 cases in Florida this past week that seems the most fitting solution. On Saturday June 27, 2020 the Florida Department of Health, 9,585 new cases of COVID-19 were reported and the sales of alcohol in Florida bars was suspended. To put that in perspective NYC’s highest COVID-19 case count was about12,000 in one day. Florida may very well be in the same dire situation NYC was in back in March in the coming weeks unless measures are taken to stop the spread.

The CDC offered tips on how to protect children during the pandemic. They recommend, “keeping children at least 6 feet from other people and each other. If children meet in groups, it can put everyone at risk. Children can pass this virus onto others who have an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. The key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 is to limit contact as much as possible. While school is out, children should not have in-person play dates with children from other households. If children are playing outside their own homes, it is essential that they remain 6 feet from anyone who is not in their own household.”

The CDC has house hold studies in the works but they do not know the impact that children have on the transmission cycle of the virus. The CDC is moving forward to find ways to open schools safely. Dr. Fauci in testimony Tuesday June 30, 2020 said, “We need to do whatever we can to get the children back to school.” At a COVID-19 Task Force press briefing, Secretary Ben Carson said, “The CDC is advising schools on how to bring students back to school safely. You don’t have to have everyone in auditoriums, those congregate settings, you would avoid. There would be fewer kids in the classrooms and the desks would be socially distanced. Instead of having the kids eating in a cafeteria they should be eating at their desks.”

Surprise!

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On May 30, 2020 a Texas Family planned a surprise birthday party for a 30 year old daughter in law. One family member, a construction worker,  was unknowingly infected with the COVID-19 virus. He thought his slight cough might have been from dust at the construction site. Everyone did their best to stay socially distant at the party. I can say, from first hand experience that if you are in a room conversing, it is hard to stay 6 feet away from others. No one wore masks since they are often around each other and care for each other dearly. 25 people attended.

Seven people became infected at the party. They spread the virus to 10 other people through their families and other interactions. In all 18 people became infected. Among those infected are two young children, two grandparents, and the parents, who are in their 80s. Three were hospitalized, the parents, and a sister, who is battling breast cancer.

The mom and sister recovered and are back home but dad is still in the hospital fighting for his life. Not being able to have visitors is the hardest part of being hospitalized. The dad is in need of blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients, who have established antibodies. However there is a shortage. Firefighters who had recovered wanted to donate blood but the donations are not allowed to go to one specific patient since there is a shortage. If you have recovered from the virus please donate blood.

“My dad’s hanging on by a thread,” a son said. “They’re saying this is one of the last straws for my dad.” When the son was allowed a phone call to his father, he said, “That’s really the best medicine. You know they’re in there by themselves with no family,” He said holding back tears. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Pre-Pandemic: Hollerbach’s

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Pam’s family was visiting from Iowa and to give then a taste of Central Florida we decided to go to Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café German Restaurant (205 E 1st St, Sanford, FL 32771). A large family sat eating at the table next to us and the place was packed for lunch. I miss sketching these types of crowded and festive scenes. An om-pah band was playing in the next room and a tone point everyone shouted, Ticky Tacky Ticky Tacky- Oh Oh Ohhh! Everyone shouted along and took a long drink of their steins of beer.

I know that the restaurant has recently expanded just in time for the pandemic. The Willow Tree German restaurant resumed standard hours as of May 4, 2020. The Magnolia Square Market German Deli has remained open throughout, and the Outfitters German folk clothing shop is open five days a week.

Willow Tree: Sun-Thu 11-9, Fri/Sat 11-10

Magnolia Square Market: Sun-Thu 10-7, Fri/Sat 10-8

Outfitters: Wed, Thu, Sun 12-5, Fri/Sat 12-7

Today June 14, 2020, dine-in capacity is limited to 25% for the safety of guests and staff. They have re-configured the table layout to reflect requirements of social distancing, and parties are limited to six guests per table – if there are more than six guests in a party, they will be kindly asked to sit at separate tables.

Take-out service is available 11am – 8pm at hollerbachs.com/ordernow or by calling 407.321.2204 option 3. Restaurant reservations are suspended until further notice in light of the limited seating capacity mandated by the State of Florida and by our concern for the well-being of our guests and staff, and to afford our staff time to adapt to the new re-opening circumstances. Restaurants can now seat people at bars with appropriate social distancing, while bars, pubs, bowling allies and concert venues must operate at 50% indoor capacity. Bar service will only be available to seated customers to discourage large standing crowds.

Jimmy and Eckhard will be returning to the Willow Tree stage Thursday, May 7th to resume their popular Schunkelabend German folk music show, with polka, yodeling, folk instruments, classic Oktoberfest songs, and much more – Thursday and Sunday 6-9 pm, Friday and Saturday 7-10 pm. A new rooftop beer garden is close  to being completed but not quite open yet.

Florida had 2851 new cases of Covid-19  on Saturday June 13, 2020. That is the largest daily increase in cases since the pandemic began. That is a 127% increase in new cases since the state re-opened. This is  the second week of phase 2 re-opening.

Elephant in the Room

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On day one at Elite Animation Academy Summer Camp, which this painting depicts, I had three students. I realized the tables were about six feet long so I got rid of all the extra chairs and had students sit at the end of the tables to maintain social distancing. I also made sure the tables were six feet apart. I carry a six foot stick each day to have a physical reminder of the six foot distance. I place it on the floor at my feet and it is amazing how often people trip over it. During the course of this class I realized that I could not see the drawings that students were doing from six feet away. So I encouraged them to draw darker and with more conviction.

I usually give students drawings which offer notes about how they might improve each sketch they had done. But then I realized that sheets of paper could carry the Covid-19 virus from person to person. I decided against giving students drawings. Any time I touched a pencil or pencil sharpener I disinfected my hands and I encouraged my students to do the same. I focused on safety first and art second. Creating a playful learning environment was a challenge on day one with my voice muffled by a mask and the elephant in the room.

Outside the entrance at Elite, I get my temperature taken each morning. Each day I have been layering on more PPE.  I started with a cloth mask and on day two upgraded to an N95 mask and a medical face shield. Between these two PPE items I was guaranteed to never touch my face.

My remaining student and I have worked out a unique and playful way of communicating. Hearing through the masks is difficult especially with the background sound of an area fan. We hold up our sketches from across the table like flash cards and I do sketch notes which I leave on the table for her to see from a distance but not touch. I also throw all my sketches on the floor. They create a six foot circle of sketches around me. Learning to maintain a six foot distance is a challenge. I tend to know more about this virus than most since I have been researching it for the past 3 months while in home isolation.  I am making sure my student is the safest person in the room. She forgot her mask on day two and I gave her one of my own.

On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reported 5,511 coronavirus cases in one day which is an all time high. Each day the case counts keep rising by about a thousand cases making it clear the virus is flaring out of control. There is now wide spread transmission of Covid-19 in Florida.

An adult student of mine at Crealde had to get tested since she had been in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. She was wearing a mask and met with my students but I was a no show that first class since I didn’t have a roster. She got back to me to let me know she tested negative and I let all the students know. Another close acquaintance tested positive. For now I am two degrees removed and only by being extremely careful can I hope to avoid the infection.

I have watched many videos of nurses describing the emotional toll of being a front line worker. Now, working 7 days a week, I am also feeling the strain. I am watching maps of how the virus spreads in enclosed spaces worried that any lax practices in one area would spread throughout the room. The spread in a call center is even more unnerving. I feel the need to stay vigilant. I am wearing my mask to protect the students and other instructors. I gave another instructor this larger class space shown in this painting, when I lost my two sister students so he could spread his students out more.

15 to 34 year olds in Florida are now getting infected the most. They are less likely to need hospitalization but can spread the virus to others. Younger people infected by Covid-19 often show no symptoms but can be infectious. A 17-year-old in Florida died from COVID-19 complications, making him the first person in the state under 18 confirmed to have died from the disease, according to Florida Department of Health records.

There is much that is unknown about the virus, so every precaution is needed if the state struggles to re-open safely.

First Day of Summer Camps Elite

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The first day of Elite Animation Academy summer camps began on Monday June 22, 2020. I had three students for a class that focuses on drawing people places and things. It is essentially an Urban Sketching Class with the glitch that I can not, in good conscience, take students out on locations like restaurants to sketch. I brought a six foot stick with me to class to keep a visual reminder of what six feet looks like so I could space out the students. I bring that stick everywhere I go now. It makes me feel a but like Moses parting the viral sea.

Two of my students were sisters. Everyone thankfully was wearing masks. I spoke about the pandemic to my students without focusing too much on the statistics and data of the past week.

Florida is quickly becoming the next epicenter for the spread of this virus. Florida was late to shut down and early to re-open. Governor Ron DeSantis ended all restrictions on youth activities across the state, including camps. “At the end of the day, we trust parents to be able to make decisions in conjunction with physicians.” he said. A 17 year old girl is the youngest to die from Covid-19 in Florida so far. Oh, wait, sorry, I got side tracked, I didn’t discuss any of that with my students. I kept that to myself.

I covered the basics of hand washing, social distancing and keeping the masks on. There was hand sanitizer on each table and disinfecting wipes. I advised students to wipe down every pencil or sharpener they used. My students were troopers keeping their masks on at all times. Talking through a mask was a challenge and I realized I couldn’t dash off quick sketch notes to hand off to each student. Each sketch would be contaminated in theory.

There were a few students taking a computer class and several taking a character design class and my three students. I managed to keep my students six feet apart by taking out all the chairs but four and pushing the two tables in the room to opposite walls. I then seated students at opposite ends of the tables. The tables are just short of six feet long. Most of the morning I was concerned with being sure my students were properly spaced and safe. They were troopers keeping their masks on for the whole class. I was wearing the cloth mask Pam created for me which has three layers of fabric. This was the first day I wore the mask all day and I got used to having it on. I find I breath best through my mouth and then exhale through my nose. It is surprising having to think about every breath.

Before lunch I decided to get the students out of the small classroom. It is safer to be outside rather than in enclosed spaces. We walked down to a small lake to draw. I gave then some basic composition tips with a horizon line and basic tips on how to draw trees and then let them go. I scheduled an hour for them to work but they really didn’t have the attention span yet to focus on the endless details that existed at the scene. One student delighted in drawing the ducks and a family that arrived to feed the ducks. She has the passion and it will be a joy to help her see better so she can get more on the page.

The next day the two sisters did not show up for class leaving me with one student. I may have discussed Covid-19 than was needed. So much of my attention was focused on student safety. The older sister would drop her pencil when done with a sketch as if dropping a mic. She had some talent. It is a shame she didn’t push herself. The phone for now is her world. The younger sister sneezed once. Three cheers for her mask, which did it’s job.

It is much easier to maintain six feet distance from one student rather than three.

All Bets are Off

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Las Vegas saw a record number of infections two weeks after the casinos re-opened June 4, 2020. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak said the state is “not ready” to advance to Phase 3 of reopening as Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations continue to spike.

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas all reported their highest single-day increases in cases over the past week, according to Newsweek.

Donald Trump has been rushing the states to re-open while trying to ignoring that the virus exists or that it will “Magically” go away and never wearing a mask.

The Joe Biden campaign said this in response to the pandemic…

The American people deserve an urgent, robust, and professional response to the growing public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. That is why Joe Biden is outlining a plan to mount:

  • A decisive public health response that ensures the wide availability of free testing; the elimination of all cost barriers to preventive care and treatment for COVID-19; the development of a vaccine; and the full deployment and operation of necessary supplies, personnel, and facilities.
  • A decisive economic response that starts with emergency paid leave for all those affected by the outbreak and gives all necessary help to workers, families, and small businesses that are hit hard by this crisis. Make no mistake: this will require an immediate set of ambitious and progressive economic measures, and further decisive action to address the larger macro-economic shock from this outbreak.

 

Waiting Room

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Waiting rooms have become menacing places since the Covid-19 Pandemic began. It is estimated that there are 883.7 million ambulatory care visits a year in the U.S., with 54.5% of these visits going to primary care physicians. In the waiting room, there is ample time for the mingling of patients who have an acute infectious disease and those who do not. Studies have shown that airborne infections pose a particular threat to susceptible individuals whenever they are placed together with an infected individual in confined spaces like a healthcare facility waiting area.

According to the CDC, Covid-19 is spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. A person can contract COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. These patterns of transmission raise the concern that healthcare facility waiting areas are environments in which there is risk of transmission of Covid-19 to high-risk uninfected patients.

It is also recommended that, where possible, the waiting room chairs are arranged in a manner that is conducive to patients maintaining at least six feet of distance from other patients. There have been some recommendations regarding the use of HEPA filters. Unfortunately, since the Covid-19 virus is very small (0.1 of a micron), it is likely not filtered by most commercially available HEPA filters, which are only able to filter particles as small as 0.3 microns.

Five precautions include,

  • Make hand sanitizer accessible in high-traffic areas
  • Offer an antiviral face mask to patients and healthcare workers
  • Use germ-killing wipes on high-contact surfaces
  • Review containment plans and keep patients with flu-like symptoms away from others
  • Follow hand hygiene compliance standards.

Anyone in Orange County, including within the city limits of Orlando, will be required to wear a face mask beginning this Saturday while out in public, under a new mandate by Mayor Jerry Demings. Under his order, “every person working, living, visiting or doing business in Orange County,” will be required to wear face coverings consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, while in any public space.

On my half hour drive to Crealde School of Art today on the second day of the mandate I saw 25 to 50 people and none had a mask. My students thankfully did have masks.
The latest numbers from the Florida Department of Health show that there have been 97,291 cases of COVID-19 statewide, resulting in 3,161 deaths. That is an increase of 3,494 cases since Saturday morning. There were also another 17 deaths reported.

Security

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In a news conference Tuesday June 16, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis said that 260 workers from the Orlando International Airport tested positive for Covid-19 after nearly 500 employees were tested. Airport Chief Executive Phil Brown had to correct the Governor’s statement. According Brown, of the 500 airport workers who were tested for Covid-19, only two had positive results. Those tests were done over a three day period.

Between mid-March and through June 6, there were 132 employees of all the airlines, rental car companies, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Aviation Authority that tested positive, according to the statement. Another 128 people who tested positive were not airport employees but were traceable connections to the workers who tested positive for Covid-19, according to the public health team. so, 132 plus 128 is, 260 people with some affiliation with the airport have tested positive for Covid-19. This shell game is rather funny as executives try to confuse and downplay the numbers.

Clearly the airport executive tried to downplay the number of workers affected but regardless, 260 people were infected by the virus. That left me wondering, what would it be like to try and get through security knowing the TSA agents might be infected with the virus. A pat town might not just be invasive but downright terrifying.

On Wednesday June 17, 2020, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority approved a new policy requiring all 22,000 airport employees to wear facial coverings in public areas of the airport. Employees will need to observe social distancing “to extent that they can.” I imagine social distancing goes out the widow as a TSA agent spears the virus all over your clothes as they pat you down.

Some people have felt they were sexually assaulted when they were patted down. a well-known CNN political commentator and analyst, Angela Rye was subjected to a humiliating vaginal pat-down before boarding a regular flight from Detroit to New York. In addition to being screened by the backscatter X-Ray machine, the female officer advised that she had to be patted down. It was only supposed to be “a backhanded pat around her upper thigh.” Instead, the female officer went down her leg, up her dress and her hand sideways touched Rye inappropriately. The same officer then faced Rye, and her sideways hand once again hit the middle of Rye’s genitals. Rye believed she was sexually assaulted. She filed a complaint.

OIA is stepping up its cleaning efforts in high traffic areas, and hand sanitizer stations have been added throughout the airport. And as reported earlier they are downplaying the tread of the virus.

I hear flights going into and out of OIA all day long. Airlines have to keep the flights on schedule even if they are empty because it is a requirement of the 25 billion dollars in government bail outs. Known as the CARES Act, airlines receiving aid are required to continue flying to every domestic destination they already serve, even with low passenger numbers. The requirement is designed to keep supply chains stable and transport essential personnel, like government and healthcare workers, as well as to maintain connectivity to smaller areas. While airlines collected 25 billion dollars small businesses are folding all over the county. So, ghost planes are flying all over the country literally empty except for plane crews and very few passengers.

We are living in the age of ghost planes and zombie molestation in the name of “security.”