Reopened Georgia: A COVID-19 restaurant lunch party
The politics are typical. The president encouraged Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to open up the state. Being a good company man, Kemp obliged. Then the president said not so fast. Governor Kemp was alone on an island. The politicians might not agree on the opening. But on Friday, May 1, the people stayed away in droves.
I had lunch that day with five friends in Baxley, Georgia. Appling County is small-town, rural Georgia: 18.5k in population, 72 cases, 5 deaths, and 11 hospitalizations. The six of us included 3 factory workers, two retail clerks, and a caregiver.
The residents of Appling County had better instincts that we did. We were the only table in the entire restaurant. The reason for our lunch? To allow similar people in different factories to share thoughts: This was a great idea as far as work is concerned. But could we have all infected each other? Absolutely.
While the take-out window flourished, we sat alone at a table. We felt safe. But we were also a danger to ourselves.
Here is the real problem. Any of us could have been infected. Infected people are asymptomatic for two weeks. Transmitting all the while. And we were all high-risk because of our normally-high, daily contacts. What if the restaurant had been filled to even the limited capacity allowed?
Is there a solution? Had we all been tested that morning, we could have stayed safe for real.
Politicians can open up a state, but initially it looks like the state wasn’t ready for any of that. Will this be a trickle that grows to a flood? Who knows. But on Friday, May1, the state knew better than the governor. And me and my friends.
