Letting Go

That’s what the last week or two in NYC feels like. People are letting go, in good and bad ways.

Bad way: people are acting like this thing has never happened, and we’re not in the middle of massive pandemic that’s still very much active. Not everybody. In fact, I find myself surprised by the number of people on the streets who aren’t screwing around and are masking up and distancing appropriately. But enough people in denial to cause concern.

I’ve seen a few youtube and news clips of people in their 20s gathering outside of bars in the evening or night all over NYC, no masks or distancing in sight, basically partying like this thing is over. I’d like to say something vaguely complimentary like, “Well, they’re seeing New York’s vastly improved statistics and celebrating that the first wave of the virus has mostly passed over.” But I suspect the reality is these people are just idiots who are strangers to news and statistics. Or maybe they’ve seen news clips of thousands of people marching and thought, “If they can do that, then we can do this.”

And it is a pretty ragged signal to be sent out. I don’t care if it’s rednecks with semi-automatic rifles in state capitols, planned indoor Trump rallies in a state where the virus numbers are rising, or the numerous police brutality protests over the past few weeks. The last place on earth I want to be now is in a large crowd, in any physical circumstance, that could cause the virus to spread. There will easily be 200,000 Americans dead from the virus by September. I’m not sure why this number seems unreal or non-existent to so many people. It’s not bullshit. I wish it was. At some point in your adult life, you realize you're not living in a vacuum, and that your actions impact everyone.

I wish this whole thing was a put on. I do believe the authorities are over-stating the case, asking us to adhere to standards that at this point in states where the virus has done its worst, might be overkill. The problem being if you don’t make a statement this forcefully, many people are going to take this thing even less seriously than they already have. From what I’m seeing here recently, most people are taking this thing seriously, hopefully enough to keep moving forward.

On Monday, NYC will move to the next phase, with all retail stores opening, outdoor seating in restaurants, salons and barbers opening, etc. I gather masks indoors in public will be strictly enforced. That’s what I find encouraging, as we take these baby steps back towards normalcy. Most people I know with jobs in NYC have told me their companies plan to get them back in office after the Fourth of July. This is great news, a major step in the right direction. We’ll have to reacclimate to public transportation, where the “six feet” rule will be impossible to follow during rush hours, but if everyone is masked up and being sane, hopefully the virus has died down enough not to start up again.

What I’m gathering from the people blowing this thing off is they’re living lives where they can get away with no masks, whether they’re students on summer break, unemployed, probably living with their parents, and not in positions where they have to mask up to buy groceries, go to laundromats, conduct bank transactions, etc. In other words, as we get back to normal, these kids (overgrown or actual) are going to encounter the real world most adults live in, which requires getting a mask on while we interact in public/indoor spacing. When school starts in September (which it will, barring any spikes or catastrophes), that should let them know, this is how you need to handle this thing. The downside of everyone being isolated is people make up their own rules. I’ve done it myself. But I caught on pretty fast that the livelihood of my country, and this city in particular, depends on people like me to help, so I have. I hate masks as much as any d-bag who’s refused to wear one. We all do!

My attitude was, is, will be, whatever it takes to get through this thing as quickly and as safely as possible.

I hope to get back to Pennsylvania in July, and after that, back to Manhattan via subway train, even if it’s only to take long walks in parks, but hopefully to hit the gym and have lunch with friends, assuming NYC goes to the next phase later in the month. I think that’s what’s been depressing me more than anything, the lack of mobility. I moved to NYC years ago because of Manhattan, to work there, partake of the arts, great shopping, restaurants, etc. My life here is better when I have daily access to Manhattan. I feel more active and connected to the world. Even if I’m doing nothing while there, I still feel that force. I haven’t set foot in Manhattan since the day after St. Patrick’s Day, and I surely do miss it (the real, active city, not the ghost town I encountered that day). And once the economy starts kicking in again, I surely hope to start working again later in the summer. If it happens before then, great, but I’ll surely be surprised if that happens so quickly.

So, I’m hoping to get through June and anticipate life opening up just a little in July, but enough to start easing back to some sense of normalcy in the city. Three months is a long time to lock down, so I can understand why New Yorkers are busting out, even if I don’t agree with how some people are doing it. The ultimate reality is I don’t know more than anyone else, if all of this is overkill, if it’s not going to have any recognizable effect for so many people to go maskless, if things will ease up or grow worse in the next few months. I’m just as uncertain as everyone else. As noted above, whatever it takes to get this thing in the rear-view mirror. “Letting go” for me may eventually imply letting go of this hardline stance on distancing and masks I’ve held since the last week of March. We are surely farther along than we were back then, and things have improved dramatically here.