The View from the Hermitage, Day 124

I awoke (too early thanks to the family cat) to a news notification that the county Board of Supervisors last night indicated that it wanted the county to revert to Phase Two of the coronavirus reopening guidelines. It's not clear if the county can do that without authorization from the state government. The county attorney thinks that the board could declare a special emergency and revert without permission from the governor, but not everyone agree with that assessment.

Among the reasons cited were the county's increasing positivity rate and the return of thousands of university students. It's not clear that all the differences between Phases Two and Three could be easily implemented and enforced. Fortunately, the difference that seems the easiest to implement and enforce is the one the board views as the most important to change. Phase Three allows outdoor social gatherings of up to 250 people, five times the 50 people allowed under Phase Two. The reduction would certainly help, though I'm not convinced how much good it would do. It would not take many of those 50 people to spread the virus to 50 more people.

Virginia is fortunate, though, not to have bars per se. At some point in the past that I think might have been in my lifetime, the state enacted a law that more than 50% of the profits of a restaurant-type establishment must come from food sales. Establishments relying on the sale of alcoholic beverages that existed at the time the law was enacted were grandfathered, but no new ones could be opened. Restaurants can have a bar area, though, based on the experience with bars in the hardest-hit states, the governor here said no person could be served at a restaurant's bar. You can't be there just to drink; you must also eat.

As for yesterday's number of new covid-19 cases, we broke 1,000 again, though barely, with 1,002. The seven-day moving average is also up slightly, as one might expect. The new cases now are very likely a result of July 4 weekend social gatherings. If so, then daily increases for the next several days should not be surprising.

While we're fucked in terms of covid-19 cases, there's also the fact that Ruth Bader Ginsburg's cancer has returned. Chemo appears to be working for now. Almost four years ago she announced her intention to stay on the Supreme Court until HWSNBN was no longer president. If he were to add another one of his ilk to the court, it would point the court off-center for decades. That's a definite down side to lifetime appointments.

I go now to continue moving what I can to the basement and making sure we have packed what we will need or want at the cabin. I dislike that I probably won't be able to keep posting here. It also has occurred to me that unless we can pick up NPR on the clock radio, I won't have access to coronavirus updates. The husband and I can make bets on what craziness happens while we're off the grid. I'll try to get at least a short post up on Sunday, but that will depend on if the router has been disconnected and moved to high ground.