Today my region in New York entered Phase 2 of reopening, which means that non-mall retail is open (with masks) as well as hairdressers. Hairdressers need to wear a mask and a face shield, and customers must wear a mask. It’s like getting a haircut in an operating room—no thanks.
My daughter works in a customer service role in a place that could be open in Phase 2, but isn’t. She’s working remotely. A friend of hers is a hairdresser, on unemployment. Neither one of them are interested in going back to their place of business right now for a simple reason: the majority of the people who will show up will probably be COVID-iots. They will be the folks who don’t give a shit — they’re the kind who would come to your place of business even if they feel ill, and they will probably have to be coaxed to wear a mask.
There are a couple of retail outlets that I could visit, but I’m sure as shit not going there this weekend. I might go, cautiously, in a couple of weeks, as soon as I can judge whether COVID-iots are being slapped down and thrown out. If retail outlets are letting people without masks enter the premises, I’ll stick to my once-a-week grocery run, at most.
I’m sure there’s going to be an uptick in people shopping this weekend, and non-COVID-iots will be the majority. Still, it only takes one to start an outbreak, and I’m not going to risk that in order to get a new set of sheets at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I’m sure that I’m not the only one, and this is why empowering stupidity will make our inevitably anemic recovery even weaker than it was destined to be.