COVID: Numbers and Schools
Since I last posted, there are a few states who are planning to start re-opening (on a limited basis) starting this Friday. No one is sure how this pan work - reactions vary from "they're idiots and everyone will die" to "it's about time, stop infringing on my freedom". But from what I've seen (via social media, news websites, etc.) it seems that the more cautious perspectives are coming from areas that are harder hit.
And yes, it is absolutely geo-political... the more liberal parts of the country (northeast, northwest) lean toward stronger quarantine standards, while the more conservative areas (the south and midwest) are focused on personal freedoms and getting businesses back open, kids back to school, reopening places of worship, etc.
Below are COVID numbers in a few semi-randomly selected states. I included NY and NJ both because of where I live and because they are by far the hardest-hit states in the US. I also included states where we have friends, or where they are opening soon.
All numbers in this chart are from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/ and have references to the state reporting to substantiate their numbers and data. No opinions here, just data.
In NJ (so far) the schools are listed as closed "indefinitely" and are confirmed closed through May 15th. Neighboring states including NY and PA have announced formally that schools will not reopen this year, and we're waiting for our governor to do the same. I expect it is just a matter of time. (On the plus side - they just announced that county and state parks will be open to the public again starting this Saturday, so we might be able to go take a hike and get a change of scenery for the first time in over a month. HOORAY!)
Interesting fact: globally, there are only four countries whose schools are completely open without impact. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus and Nicaragua. The schools across the entire continent are closed in Africa and South America, and the rest of the world varies between complete closure (Europe, Central America, Canada, SE Asia, Mongolia) or localized closures (US, China, Japan, Russia, Greenland, and Madagascar).
But on a personal level, I was thinking about some of the things the kids are missing. And I don't mean field trips and assemblies, and lunch with friends. I'm thinking about specifics.
Ryan was selected this year to participate in Mock Trial. It is an extra-curricular activity where students met twice a week after school for an hour, starting in March and was supposed to continue through the end of May. They were learning about law, the legal system, etc. It completely stopped, and while I've asked about the school about setting up Zoom sessions to resume these, nothing has happened yet.
Ryan's school musical was SQUIRM! and had all sorts of fun songs about worms, snakes, bugs, and other creepy-crawly creatures. Ryan was tried out and was selected for a solo, and one night back in February actually did a full run-through of the entire musical for Colin and I. That never happened.
Ryan also started playing the cello this year but has never had a performance and the lessons were effectively discontinued since school stopped. He has his instrument at home but has barely touched it in a month. I was thrilled to hear that
Colin is in the band, but his baritone is constantly broken... when he was in school that wasn't a big deal because he would borrow the school's baritone and his teacher would get the instrument fixed. A few weeks back his baritone broke, and it isn't something we can fix, so he has no instrument. We can't fix it, and we're just out of luck.
There is potential for fun too... let's not forget that. If the kids would EVER just focus, their school day could be done by noon. We are taking family walks, and Hari is actually around. The dogs are in heaven (although Addie is exhausted because she's probably walking 5-6 miles a day). There's a lot to be grateful for, and I wonder how we're going to look back on these days 10 years from now.
And yes, it is absolutely geo-political... the more liberal parts of the country (northeast, northwest) lean toward stronger quarantine standards, while the more conservative areas (the south and midwest) are focused on personal freedoms and getting businesses back open, kids back to school, reopening places of worship, etc.
Below are COVID numbers in a few semi-randomly selected states. I included NY and NJ both because of where I live and because they are by far the hardest-hit states in the US. I also included states where we have friends, or where they are opening soon.
All numbers in this chart are from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/ and have references to the state reporting to substantiate their numbers and data. No opinions here, just data.
In NJ (so far) the schools are listed as closed "indefinitely" and are confirmed closed through May 15th. Neighboring states including NY and PA have announced formally that schools will not reopen this year, and we're waiting for our governor to do the same. I expect it is just a matter of time. (On the plus side - they just announced that county and state parks will be open to the public again starting this Saturday, so we might be able to go take a hike and get a change of scenery for the first time in over a month. HOORAY!)
Interesting fact: globally, there are only four countries whose schools are completely open without impact. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus and Nicaragua. The schools across the entire continent are closed in Africa and South America, and the rest of the world varies between complete closure (Europe, Central America, Canada, SE Asia, Mongolia) or localized closures (US, China, Japan, Russia, Greenland, and Madagascar).
But on a personal level, I was thinking about some of the things the kids are missing. And I don't mean field trips and assemblies, and lunch with friends. I'm thinking about specifics.
Ryan was selected this year to participate in Mock Trial. It is an extra-curricular activity where students met twice a week after school for an hour, starting in March and was supposed to continue through the end of May. They were learning about law, the legal system, etc. It completely stopped, and while I've asked about the school about setting up Zoom sessions to resume these, nothing has happened yet.
Ryan's school musical was SQUIRM! and had all sorts of fun songs about worms, snakes, bugs, and other creepy-crawly creatures. Ryan was tried out and was selected for a solo, and one night back in February actually did a full run-through of the entire musical for Colin and I. That never happened.
Ryan also started playing the cello this year but has never had a performance and the lessons were effectively discontinued since school stopped. He has his instrument at home but has barely touched it in a month. I was thrilled to hear that
Colin is in the band, but his baritone is constantly broken... when he was in school that wasn't a big deal because he would borrow the school's baritone and his teacher would get the instrument fixed. A few weeks back his baritone broke, and it isn't something we can fix, so he has no instrument. We can't fix it, and we're just out of luck.
There is potential for fun too... let's not forget that. If the kids would EVER just focus, their school day could be done by noon. We are taking family walks, and Hari is actually around. The dogs are in heaven (although Addie is exhausted because she's probably walking 5-6 miles a day). There's a lot to be grateful for, and I wonder how we're going to look back on these days 10 years from now.
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