Elrich capitulated — MoCo going to Phase 1 on Monday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From my understanding, Hogan has more than one gate within a phase. Maryland was in Phase 1a and is moving into Phase 1b tomorrow. Phase 1b is pretty similar to everyone else's straight up Phase 1. If, after a week of Phase 1b, trends continue in the right direction, Maryland will start to enter Phase 2. Maryland is NOT entering Phase 2 tomorrow.

Ok that makes sense.

Now, which phase will MoCo enter on Monday? 1a or 1b?

Other parts of MD started 1a two weeks ago, and playgrounds were open (with social distancing rules in place). But as I read MoCo's site, playgrounds are _not_ included?

https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=25367

Meanwhile, MoCo's site says restaurants outdoor seating is allowed, whihc other MD counties did NOT allow until 1b.

This is confusing. Is MoCo just making up their own rules about what falls into each phase?

Yes, MoCo makes its own rules. They’re taking basically 95% of what Hogan is having Maryland do (aka everything but pools, playgrounds, and indoor retail for small shops).

Ok I'll just chalk this up to typical Elrich bungling. I am fine with them going to each phase when they feel it's right, but at least they should do the same in each phase as the rest of the state. This just makes it confusing.

Elrich needs to get his ego in check. If his version of phase 1 was the same as Maryland's phase 1b, they should have just announced on Wednesday at Hogan's conference that MoCo would be joining the rest of Maryland, like the NoVa counties with Virginia. His grandstanding that he had to wait until Wednesday's press conference to figure out what direction MoCo would go in was total BS. He shouldn't be waiting to hear what Hogan has to say on the news before making a decision a day later, their offices should be working together. Now restaurants and non-essential businesses are missing another weekend of commerce because Elrich had to have his own spotlight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are playgrounds just not enough of a money maker or something? Given the recent guidance about transmission from surfaces being low AND playgrounds being located outside, it’s insane to me that they would still be closed while a a group of adults can play close contact basketball immediately adjacent to a closed playground.

Kids don't know how to cover their mouths. If there are multiple families at the playground that could be a disaster. And my kids would be so jealous and not understand that other kids are playing but they can't

[Anonymous]

These multi phases over a condensed period of time make no sense to me. Why not just open? None is going to know the impact after a week of sort of opening some things. Frankly it doesn’t even matter if we see spikes, it is untenable to close again. Can not happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are playgrounds just not enough of a money maker or something? Given the recent guidance about transmission from surfaces being low AND playgrounds being located outside, it’s insane to me that they would still be closed while a a group of adults can play close contact basketball immediately adjacent to a closed playground.

Kids don't know how to cover their mouths. If there are multiple families at the playground that could be a disaster. And my kids would be so jealous and not understand that other kids are playing but they can't

Stop being crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are playgrounds just not enough of a money maker or something? Given the recent guidance about transmission from surfaces being low AND playgrounds being located outside, it’s insane to me that they would still be closed while a a group of adults can play close contact basketball immediately adjacent to a closed playground.

Kids don't know how to cover their mouths. If there are multiple families at the playground that could be a disaster. And my kids would be so jealous and not understand that other kids are playing but they can't

Stop being crazy.

Yeah, PP you’re being paranoid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are playgrounds just not enough of a money maker or something? Given the recent guidance about transmission from surfaces being low AND playgrounds being located outside, it’s insane to me that they would still be closed while a a group of adults can play close contact basketball immediately adjacent to a closed playground.

Kids don't know how to cover their mouths. If there are multiple families at the playground that could be a disaster. And my kids would be so jealous and not understand that other kids are playing but they can't

So no school till a vaccine then?

[Anonymous]

Banning any/all playgrounds in MoCo is so stupid. County parks are one thing—I suppose—but what about HOA/private playgrounds?

The one behind our house is hidden and really there are never more than 4-5 kids there. At least 80% of the time, there’s no one there.

The fact that I can’t let my kid play there by herself is so massively stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Banning any/all playgrounds in MoCo is so stupid. County parks are one thing—I suppose—but what about HOA/private playgrounds?

The one behind our house is hidden and really there are never more than 4-5 kids there. At least 80% of the time, there’s no one there.

The fact that I can’t let my kid play there by herself is so massively stupid.

Is it closed off somehow?

We let our kids go to their school playground, it is nearly always empty as you wouldn’t really know about it unless you had visited the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Banning any/all playgrounds in MoCo is so stupid. County parks are one thing—I suppose—but what about HOA/private playgrounds?

The one behind our house is hidden and really there are never more than 4-5 kids there. At least 80% of the time, there’s no one there.

The fact that I can’t let my kid play there by herself is so massively stupid.

Is it closed off somehow?

We let our kids go to their school playground, it is nearly always empty as you wouldn’t really know about it unless you had visited the school.

No, none of our HOA playgrounds are closed off, but everyone has just been refraining from using them. Frankly, I’m nervous about my kid using it and then having a neighbor walk by and yell at us. I don’t want my 3 year old experiencing that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These multi phases over a condensed period of time make no sense to me. Why not just open? None is going to know the impact after a week of sort of opening some things. Frankly it doesn’t even matter if we see spikes, it is untenable to close again. Can not happen.

Yeah I mean once the horse leaves the barn, closure isn't happening again barring a major spike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Banning any/all playgrounds in MoCo is so stupid. County parks are one thing—I suppose—but what about HOA/private playgrounds?

The one behind our house is hidden and really there are never more than 4-5 kids there. At least 80% of the time, there’s no one there.

The fact that I can’t let my kid play there by herself is so massively stupid.

Aside from the idea that the virus can reman on plastic and metal surfaces for up to 3 days...yes it is stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Banning any/all playgrounds in MoCo is so stupid. County parks are one thing—I suppose—but what about HOA/private playgrounds?

The one behind our house is hidden and really there are never more than 4-5 kids there. At least 80% of the time, there’s no one there.

The fact that I can’t let my kid play there by herself is so massively stupid.

Aside from the idea that the virus can reman on plastic and metal surfaces for up to 3 days...yes it is stupid.

If barely anyone uses it and we know the virus degrades for every second it’s outside a host (aka a human or animal) it seems like an exceptionally low risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These multi phases over a condensed period of time make no sense to me. Why not just open? None is going to know the impact after a week of sort of opening some things. Frankly it doesn’t even matter if we see spikes, it is untenable to close again. Can not happen.

Yeah I mean once the horse leaves the barn, closure isn't happening again barring a major spike.

Pretty much. Which is why they are doing a slow phased opening, so we don't have a huge spike in cases all at once.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From my understanding, Hogan has more than one gate within a phase. Maryland was in Phase 1a and is moving into Phase 1b tomorrow. Phase 1b is pretty similar to everyone else's straight up Phase 1. If, after a week of Phase 1b, trends continue in the right direction, Maryland will start to enter Phase 2. Maryland is NOT entering Phase 2 tomorrow.

Ok that makes sense.

Now, which phase will MoCo enter on Monday? 1a or 1b?

Other parts of MD started 1a two weeks ago, and playgrounds were open (with social distancing rules in place). But as I read MoCo's site, playgrounds are _not_ included?

https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=25367

Meanwhile, MoCo's site says restaurants outdoor seating is allowed, whihc other MD counties did NOT allow until 1b.

This is confusing. Is MoCo just making up their own rules about what falls into each phase?

Yes, MoCo makes its own rules. They’re taking basically 95% of what Hogan is having Maryland do (aka everything but pools, playgrounds, and indoor retail for small shops).

Ok I'll just chalk this up to typical Elrich bungling. I am fine with them going to each phase when they feel it's right, but at least they should do the same in each phase as the rest of the state. This just makes it confusing.

No, it makes sense to have different rules for each county because the situation is so drastically different in different counties. Hogan explicitly said it is fine for counties to have different rules. I do think there needs to be better messaging by each county so that people know what the rules are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are playgrounds just not enough of a money maker or something? Given the recent guidance about transmission from surfaces being low AND playgrounds being located outside, it’s insane to me that they would still be closed while a a group of adults can play close contact basketball immediately adjacent to a closed playground.

Kids don't know how to cover their mouths. If there are multiple families at the playground that could be a disaster. And my kids would be so jealous and not understand that other kids are playing but they can't

I don’t think men that you see playing sports together like that are supposed to be doing that unless they all live in the same house.