Day 34 – Stay Home Order Eased
Gov Tim Walz relaxed the stay-at-home order Thursday April 24, allowing more than 100,000 Minnesotans could get back to work next week.
The Marriam-Webster dictionary defines the term ‘stay-at-home‘ as “staying at home to take care of a child instead of working somewhere else”. After almost a month-long ‘stay-at-home’ order from the government officials, researchers find that more Americans venturing out against coronavirus stay-at-home orders.
Tracking Smartphones
The Post researcher Katherine Shaver writes ‘for the first time since states began implementing stay-at-home orders in mid-March to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, Americans are staying home less’ referring to a tracking smartphone data.
The University of Maryland researchers tracked more than 100 million smartphones use data showing decrease in social distancing.
Revolt or Fatigue
Reporter Austen Macalus writes in USA Today that local leaders in Washington state are encouraging citizens to stick-together despite some signs of ‘stay-at-home fatigue’.
It’s a big challenge. This is something we’ve never had to deal with before. We’ve pulled people out of their normal environment and asked them to do what’s really a big change. Sunny spring days only make it that much more enticing for people to congregate outside. Those beautiful days are beautiful but they sure tempt people.
Michelle Perdue, Public Works employee (source: USA Today)
Some reports suggest that ‘there are increasing frustrations around stay-at-home restrictions across the country’. Some people feel that the ‘stay-at-home orders’ are an “erosion on individual liberties”. Some of these mounting opposition to stay-at-home orders are fueled by President Trump’s comments on social media, local authorities believe.
As the President Trump sides with protestors reports of increasing number of such ‘stay-at-home order’ protest rallies around the country including Wisconsin & Minnesota. The Washington Post writes that ‘President Trump encouraged protesters in Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia who this week violated stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines to march against Democratic governors’.
‘Across the country, however, some states are already relaxing their social distancing restrictions over pressure from protesters, business groups and others’, writes the Washington Post.
Social Distancing to Continue
Despite signs of some fatigue, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr Deborah Birx predicts ‘social distancing could last months‘.
Social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases. There is the need for further testing that would need to be developed following a scientific ‘breakthrough’.
Dr Deoborah Birx (source: The Washington Post)
Steps taken toward reopening economy vary by state. Some state governors believe such social distancing measures are important that are sustainable for the coming weeks and months.
We’ve really been laser-focused on figuring out how we can endure and sustain these kinds of social distancing measures. If we can’t succeed in doing that, the stay-at-home was for nothing.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (source: The Washington Post)
The debate over reopening in the country and maintaining ‘social distancing’ to limit the virus spread would continue for a while!
Coronavirus Pandemic Watch
According to the MDH latest tally (as of April 27, 11 a.m.) the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota are 3,816 (out of 61,268 tested) with 286 deaths. According to Johns Hopkins database (as of April 27, 3:30 p.m.) there are 983,848 confirmed covid19 infection with 55,735 deaths. Globally the covid19 virus has infected 3,029,452 with 210,374 deaths.