I work in Georgia at a party supply store. On April 30, Georgia governor Brian "I didn't know asymptomatic people could transmit coronavirus" Kemp ended the state's shelter-at-home ordinance. While the number of cases per week had been declining, this week has seen an increase in cases (albeit a small one that could be due to statistical noise, though it still means the number of new cases has ceased declining), and I fear that is a portent of a potential second spike in cases.
As of this past weekend, my employer has ended our nearly two-month furlough, so I had to return to work this past Tuesday. And it's been busy. So many people leaving their houses, often in large groups, just to buy balloons and decorations. While I'm only a part-timer and we are provided with masks (which I keep on whenever there's customers around), cleaning supplies (which I use to sanitize everything on a near-constant basis), hand sanitizer (which I use after every transaction), and plastic shields at the register, I'm still worried. I have muscular dystrophy, and as a result I am possibly an at-risk person. On my last shift, I came into close proximity with well over 100 people based on my register's transaction counter, and many of them were not wearing masks. I've tried to avoid going into public as much as possible, leaving only to go get groceries when necessary, and even then giving people a wide berth and trying to get the hell out of Dodge as quickly as possible. But now I don't have a choice but to deal with the general public outside of procuring necessities. I have to be exposed for the sake of selling party supplies. Fucking party supplies! Just to get a paycheck. I feel bad for all the essential workers out there in the grocery stores putting their lives on the line for the past two months, and now I join them as governments are reopening everything before it's safe to do so.
Honestly, we probably should have kept things under quarantine for at least another two months.
As of this past weekend, my employer has ended our nearly two-month furlough, so I had to return to work this past Tuesday. And it's been busy. So many people leaving their houses, often in large groups, just to buy balloons and decorations. While I'm only a part-timer and we are provided with masks (which I keep on whenever there's customers around), cleaning supplies (which I use to sanitize everything on a near-constant basis), hand sanitizer (which I use after every transaction), and plastic shields at the register, I'm still worried. I have muscular dystrophy, and as a result I am possibly an at-risk person. On my last shift, I came into close proximity with well over 100 people based on my register's transaction counter, and many of them were not wearing masks. I've tried to avoid going into public as much as possible, leaving only to go get groceries when necessary, and even then giving people a wide berth and trying to get the hell out of Dodge as quickly as possible. But now I don't have a choice but to deal with the general public outside of procuring necessities. I have to be exposed for the sake of selling party supplies. Fucking party supplies! Just to get a paycheck. I feel bad for all the essential workers out there in the grocery stores putting their lives on the line for the past two months, and now I join them as governments are reopening everything before it's safe to do so.
Honestly, we probably should have kept things under quarantine for at least another two months.
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