The Coronacation Diaries, Episode 87

The Distancing Dilemma

When is the right time to end social distancing? Or to modify it? When is it okay to visit again with family? With friends? When should we just stay home?

Photo by Evgeni Tcherkasski on Unsplash

We just traveled through 6 states and back again. Less than 25% of the people we saw were wearing masks. Restaurants and bars are open in all 6 states, at varying capacities. Indoor gatherings of 10 and outdoor gatherings of 100 are now allowed. Salons are opening back up. Almost everything is opening back up.

The "maintain social distancing and wear a mask" rules are still in effect, even when no one seems to be listening. And, in many states, the numbers are creeping back up.

It's hard to know how to behave right now. We haven't seen my mom and all of my Michigan family in 5 months. First daughter hasn't seen her best friend since March. Second daughter is back to work. And my son has had weekly outside "playdates" all along.

We tried to follow the rules, as best as we could with our odd family structure and custody situation, throughout all of this. But we also pushed the envelope. We were at the Mayfair, sitting at the rail, on the last day that bars were open in Michigan. Second daughter stayed with us off and on over the entire time, bouncing between homes. We went for walks with friends. We tried to balance sanity, family, and safety. We used a lot of hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes.

And now that the rules have changed, it just all feels so weird. Is it okay to finally see family? Is it okay to get a hair cut? After maintaining distance for so long, it feels like we're coming out of the bunker, eyes squinty in the sunlight, furtively glancing around, looking for the invisible danger.

Today we got together with family. My sister-in-law, a salon owner, cut our hair. The adults sat far apart on the couches and talked about all of the unknowns. What will the summer look like? What will the fall look like? What will our jobs look like? What will school look like? The cousins all ran around outside in the rain; they rode the 3-wheeler as the thunder echoed overhead; they stomped through the puddles; they tracked mud in and ate watermelon and hotdogs and rhubarb slushies and cake and ice cream. At the end of the day, we adults tentatively leaned in for hugs, faces awkwardly angled away from each other, bumping shoulders, a quick pat on the back.

The odds are in our favor. We most likely won't contract or transmit this virus. And we're trying to do it right. But it also feels strange and unnerving, tiptoeing back into whatever the new normal will be.

      Risk factors as compiled by Dr. Matthew Sims, Beaumont Health director of infectious disease research, Dr. Dennis Cunningham, McLaren Health Care medical director for infection prevention, Dr. Mimi Emig, retired infectious disease specialist with Spectrum Health, Dr. Nasir Husain, Henry Ford Macomb medical director for infection prevention.