Conavirus......

My neighbors in Vermont are strictly adhering to social distancing. Most of my summer neighbors here have homes in rural VT and they are in no way breaching social distancing by coming here to the island. They are taking hikes in the woods surrounding their homes, baking cupcakes with their kids, chopping wood.

I don't know if that's cultural or geographic, but there seems to be a mindset among the Vermonters to be isolated and be safe. A little bit of complaining, but they are making the most of it.

My NJ son/family seem to be similarly inclined. New Jersey is definitely on lock-down with police tape wrapped around our neighborhood playground. You probably need police tape to keep New Jersayans in place.

BTW, BIL has arrived in NJ. He wanted to drive up here to VT last week, and we had to tell him that because he flew from California, through an airport in Florida and into a NY area airport, he cannot come up to see us.

Catherine, where is BIL staying? With your son?

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Originally Posted by rosarugosa

Catherine, where is BIL staying? With your son?

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Nooo.... In a Red Roof Inn. We feel very bad. He thought he'd have a golf job in NJ which was promised to him, but of course everything is now up in the air. My NJ son won't let him in to the house, of course. I don't know what's going to happen when things loosen up.

I enjoyed your perspective Steve. Catherine that’s too bad about your BIL.

In any large diverse population there will be people that comply and don't comply with guidelines (which are changing, now masks are recommended, but if you don't have one, you still can't get one). States that implement draconian measures will slow the spread (and still these pale compared to what China did). Places like New York were probably early in the outbreak and had a lot working against them, lots of density, and a fully functional widely used public means of transportation. Most places people just drive.

Taking a walk in the woods sounds nice, but that might only work in Vermont, in any decent population center that is actually taking measures all parks are closed. So people literally walk in the middle of the streets these days half the time to avoid people on the sidewalk (and that's places lucky enough to have sidewalks). They may be run over by a car, but Covid 19 won't get them!

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Originally Posted by SteveinMN

That's fine. I don't mean to start a culture war here. As a non-native Minnesotan there are plenty of things to poke at here. I just posted a possibility.

Minnesota rules for a Certificate of Occupancy: house enclosed, with functional plumbing and electricity; adherence to local building code.
Wisconsin rules for a CO: does it have a roof? (that's about it; direct experience with friends of ours who built their own place and relied on a camp stove and a portapotty for months after getting their CO)

Just something to do. I'm between projects at the moment. Make it a big deal if you want to.

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My recent direct experience with Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code was much different. The standard State checklist ran seventeen pages, and the local government inspectors added a few items of their own.

Not that I would use regulatory complexity as a very useful benchmark.

I believe the success of Minnesota in "bending the curve", the graph of positive tests per day, standardized for the size of population and the number of days since the first positive test, is important. There is not much difference in the hit rates (3/27/2020) comparing
MN .0273 441/16,129
ND .0312 94/3013
SD .0255 68/2660

However, Wisconsin .0609 989/16,221 is quite a bit higher than the other three states.

I have a hunch that the communications (choice of words and staging) by Gov Walz were more effective with the Minnesota audience than the communications by Gov Evers were with the Wisconsin audience. As more time passes, the 3/17/2020 messages of those two governors will decline in significance... other developments will be more salient.

I find it interesting that Wisconsin is not planning to postpone its primary, which other states have done.

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Originally Posted by Yppej

I find it interesting that Wisconsin is not planning to postpone its primary, which other states have done.

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If they can get poll workers.that population tends to be old.And frankly, too many are doddery.

I am talking to DH about him retiring as an election manager at the polls. He has been doing it for 18 years, most of those years foregoing income in order to do this civic duty. I think its time to let the .gen Xers and millennials step forward. Its their world, its their blue city, it is their corrupt politicians. Let them take real action.

Our primary will be mail in. IL, the younger people have jobs which is probably why the workers are old. However, I told my husband he couldn’t work it either. A friend of ours has a counseling business and said their receptionist quit with no notice. He told them he would do it. I told him not if he expected to keep living here:))