My wife and I travel to Florida for three weeks every February, trying to time it so that we miss the worst of Winter in Pittsburgh. Good Lord, we hit it right this time. The weather up North is...well, you know, and it has been balmy and beautiful here in St Petersburg since we got here.
We have read and heard many things about how the lockdowns have not been as harsh in Florida as most other states, and FWIW, this is what we are seeing. It's pretty similar to what we had in Western Pennsylvania. Restaurants are open with a nominal 6-foot social distance required but not enforced. Mask mandates are posted everywhere, but are meaningless. You have to wear a mask to get in, but once you are in, nobody seems to care and almost nobody is wearing a mask. In grocery stores, everyone is wearing a mask, as in all other non-food-consuming businesses.
At church, same as PA. Worshipers are spaced around the church and communion as always. On Ash Wednesday, the Priest will not place ashes on our forehead, but will sprinkle ashes over our heads. Women not pleased. All the churches that have Fish Dinner Friday's during Lent are doing it again this year, albeit ONLY take out.
We walked the Tampa River Walk on Sunday. It was quite crowded and few were wearing masks, nobody cared. On the beach at Clearwater, thousands of people and almost no masks. Not a lot of children around; maybe they are in school. Golf courses are always crowded here at this time of year and they are slightly less crowded this year (with no Canadians).
Dramatically fewer Canadians down there this year, and no (apparent) Europeans (Brits and Germans are usually in evidence).
I am 71, and not vaccinated. At home, some people we know have managed to get a shot, but that was after sitting on line for hours waiting to talk to someone. Of course, we can't get a shot down here, since we are "foreigners."
We have read and heard many things about how the lockdowns have not been as harsh in Florida as most other states, and FWIW, this is what we are seeing. It's pretty similar to what we had in Western Pennsylvania. Restaurants are open with a nominal 6-foot social distance required but not enforced. Mask mandates are posted everywhere, but are meaningless. You have to wear a mask to get in, but once you are in, nobody seems to care and almost nobody is wearing a mask. In grocery stores, everyone is wearing a mask, as in all other non-food-consuming businesses.
At church, same as PA. Worshipers are spaced around the church and communion as always. On Ash Wednesday, the Priest will not place ashes on our forehead, but will sprinkle ashes over our heads. Women not pleased. All the churches that have Fish Dinner Friday's during Lent are doing it again this year, albeit ONLY take out.
We walked the Tampa River Walk on Sunday. It was quite crowded and few were wearing masks, nobody cared. On the beach at Clearwater, thousands of people and almost no masks. Not a lot of children around; maybe they are in school. Golf courses are always crowded here at this time of year and they are slightly less crowded this year (with no Canadians).
Dramatically fewer Canadians down there this year, and no (apparent) Europeans (Brits and Germans are usually in evidence).
I am 71, and not vaccinated. At home, some people we know have managed to get a shot, but that was after sitting on line for hours waiting to talk to someone. Of course, we can't get a shot down here, since we are "foreigners."
