Dining out during Covid

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Pretty sure it's biz as usual here in Central Fl. We have not been in a Restaurant in many, many months but have done some outside faires. Come to think of it I'm not sure if Covid19 is recognized as a problem here but there is lots of talk of how bad pneumonia has been, to the point it's killing folk.
My sister is an ICU nurse in central FL... Covid is bad there.
 
My sister is an ICU nurse in central FL... Covid is bad there.
Yup, I married a retired ICU RN. She thinks it's pretty bad too..... I've learned to listen to her when it comes to stuff like this. I keep her car running, she keeps ME running.... -Al
 
If you sat down next to a loaded gun, would you use it to kill yourself? "What are you all so scared of ? Dying Maybe ? Why? Why not?"

You sit there and tell me a 300lb 70 year old has a 99% chance of surviving Covid. What a dumb a**, uninformed comment.

You want to go? Go for it. You can be another one of those already doing just that. It's the complete lack of respect for others displayed by folks like YOU that are the reason I must be double safe just leaving the house.....
Actually what you said doesn't make sense ? If you sit down next to a gun it usually comes with a responsible owner . If I was a 300lb overweight 70 year old I'd be more careful . But I still wouldn't fear dying . Your giving one example of someone with health issues . Most people are healthy . You don't lock down society for the one's that aren't. You protect them and live your life. You don't stop living because someone else died with anything else . SO WHY WITH COVID . Sure it can be serious to contract. Staying home hiding and closing down society hasn't made one bit of difference from places who didn't , but used common sense . There have been far more suicides due to Covid then death from Covid . Easily twice as many
There are 2 churches in the LosAngeles area that have 14000 members weekly between them. They are meeting 3 times a week. That area is the worse area for Covid in the USA. At least according to officals . In 5 months now 6 months of meetings . Nobody has come down with Covid . Not one. So either they are supernaturally protected . Or the Official's are dishonest . You pick which
 
What are you all so scared of ? Dying Maybe ? Why? Is that worth stopping life for ? Most of you jump all over people not wearing helmets . Yet the whole world is deathly afraid of a virus you stand less then -001 % of getting . And if you do over 99% recover ? We've known for centuries to wash our hands and quarantine the sick . Why is this time so different ? Because there's surely no proof it is . You're riding a bike ??? You should have a decent set of lungs shouldn't you?
probably best to ignore you battery but yeah I think most people are afraid of dying. First of all the numbers aren't 99%. I know math and science probably aren't your strong suits. Regardless if you die a miserable only death the fact that 99 other people may have lived from it doesn't help, furthermore there are plenty people who survive but have lifelong health issues. Regardless it's an individual's choice you could be a stupid as you like, but for most of us with vaccines here having made it this far without catching you would be pretty stupid to get it so you could sit at a table and eat in public. I for one have a son in middle school and while I think I would probably be one of the survivors as I'm pretty healthy I do want to be around and watch him graduate high school and college and maybe get a chance to take his kids, if I'm lucky enough to have grandkids, fishing, bike riding etc
 
Here in the suburbs of Philadelphia I believe they allow 25% dining inside now but I'm not sure as I have been done it probably since March? Over the summer when cases rely when I could sit outside I rode my bike up for a nice outside beer or three with some coworkers after work and the wife, our son and I ate outside at the same place probably around August or so but since then it's just been takeout. My wife already got her first shot due for her second any day now. As with the cluster f**k roll out of the vaccine who knows for sure when I'll be getting it. I'm an essential worker but the categories keep changing here for eligibility and I'm not really sure when or where but I plan on getting in my account. Christ my grandmother is 92 in an assisted living facility in Arizona and she still hasn't gotten her first shot.
hopefully the wrong out can be accelerated in enough people get it so we can get life back to normal. I look forward to happy hour with the guys, although a few of them have gone to an indoor happy hour the last few weeks but I'll pass, Also look forward to a nice ride up the Delaware now to Yardley or New Hope PA to sit outside and have lunch and a drink or two and ride home.
 
Here in the suburbs of Philadelphia I believe they allow 25% dining inside now but I'm not sure as I have been done it probably since March? Over the summer when cases rely when I could sit outside I rode my bike up for a nice outside beer or three with some coworkers after work and the wife, our son and I ate outside at the same place probably around August or so but since then it's just been takeout. My wife already got her first shot due for her second any day now. As with the cluster f**k roll out of the vaccine who knows for sure when I'll be getting it. I'm an essential worker but the categories keep changing here for eligibility and I'm not really sure when or where but I plan on getting in my account. Christ my grandmother is 92 in an assisted living facility in Arizona and she still hasn't gotten her first shot.
hopefully the wrong out can be accelerated in enough people get it so we can get life back to normal. I look forward to happy hour with the guys, although a few of them have gone to an indoor happy hour the last few weeks but I'll pass, Also look forward to a nice ride up the Delaware now to Yardley or New Hope PA to sit outside and have lunch and a drink or two and ride home.
Come on you guys are all giving the exceptions . These aren't the rule of thumb . And I don't fear death . Why would anyone FEAR something they have no control over when ?
 
My wife and I are retired
What are you all so scared of ? Dying Maybe ? Why? Is that worth stopping life for ? Most of you jump all over people not wearing helmets . Yet the whole world is deathly afraid of a virus you stand less then -001 % of getting . And if you do over 99% recover ? We've known for centuries to wash our hands and quarantine the sick . Why is this time so different ? Because there's surely no proof it is . You're riding a bike ??? You should have a decent set of lungs shouldn't you?
Your joking right? My wife and I are retired health care workers. Seen 1st hand the effects of Covid on younger people as well as the elderly.
This country has lost more people, young and old in a year, than all of US combat deaths in WW2 and by the end of the month will surpass the Korean war. IN A YEAR! You go right ahead. Dine out. Maybe try looking out for others before making false assumptions and or opinions. Sorry to say, you don't know what you're talking about
 
Come on you guys are all giving the exceptions . These aren't the rule of thumb . And I don't fear death . Why would anyone FEAR something they have no control over when ?
I think the idea is that your behavior does control when. I don't know call me crazy but if you weigh 400 lbs and smoked 5 packs a day and jogged in the fast lane in the middle of the night you might die sooner? I think it's a risk reward situation. I've gone out to eat plenty of times in my life and I plan on going out to eat plenty more times so going out to one meal right now, where I'm likely to be a little paranoid especially with a new more, maybe a couple more, contagious versions out there, and possibly not being around for all those future dine outs let alone others I enjoy doesn't seem like the reward is Worth the risk. Some people have more to live for, others seem to think it's a sign of bravery or strength to behave stupidly or callously towards others. The reality is the more people who are infected and out living like a normal life because they think they will be fine the more it will be spread to others who won't be fine. So the reality is you cannot really totally protect vulnerable people nor do we know everyone who would have a bad result. So when people say I'm not afraid okay maybe they're not afraid for themselves and that's fine but this isn't skydiving if your parachute doesn't open and you get squished into the ground it doesn't affect me or others. I guess there are a lot of people who really mean I'll be fine and I don't care if I spread it to four or five other people and so on and a bunch of old people die miserable deaths. Doesn't seem very Christian to me
 
We have eaten in a restaurant once since this all began. Being served by someone in a mask does not allow you to relax and forget the pandemic. Quite the contrary. Makes you very aware of the riskiness of the proposition, for them and for you. We have ordered take out maybe once a month.

I am so tired of my own cooking!!! I am an excellent cook and I like cooking. But I just want to eat something that I didn't cook. I want to learn from someone else's food. I want to be surprised. And ideally, I'd like to do this at a sidewalk cafe in the French Pyrénées 😁...
 
Haven't been in one for a year now too, and missing them badly as well. We're on the Gulf Coast just north of Tampa, and it's legal to eat inside. That's being done frequently by those much braver (dumber?) than I am judging by the local news footage (most STILL not wearing masks!), but I'll be damned if I'm stepping foot in a restaurant until I'm fully vaccinated. -Al
Yeah, same here. My problem is I'm kinda caught in the middle-heart issues but only 63 so I probably wont see a shot till June...
 
What are you all so scared of ? Dying Maybe ? Why? Is that worth stopping life for ? Most of you jump all over people not wearing helmets . Yet the whole world is deathly afraid of a virus you stand less then -001 % of getting . And if you do over 99% recover ? We've known for centuries to wash our hands and quarantine the sick . Why is this time so different ? Because there's surely no proof it is . You're riding a bike ??? You should have a decent set of lungs shouldn't you?
I'm going to try to be rational here...

Sharks kill, on the average, one person per year in the United States.

Bears kill, on the average, one person per year in the United States.

Covid has killed approximately 400,000 people in first year it was in general circulation in the United States.

So a reasonable person might decide to be approximately 400,000 times as afraid of covid-19 than they would be of sharks or bears.

Note also that it is far, far easier to avoid sharky places or places with lots of bears than it is to avoid the covid.
 
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California seems to enjoy policies that have a strong element of unpredictability about them. Think rotating power outages, but applied to restaurants! 🤣

First, indoor dining was OK with customers spaced apart and masks on wait staff. For most of the Summer it was takeout and dining al ftesco, but with tents and heaters. Then 25% indoor was OK, though most didn't offer this due to the excessive overhead costs for such low utilization. Then 50% again. Then stop everything except take out. Now we're back to limited indoor and al fresco with tents and heaters. So confusing.

On top of it the State won't release the stats they're using for these directives saying it'll just confuse people. I'll bet, since it seems to confuse them. 😔
I think that the "rules" are likely to be highly unpredictable for a number of reasons:
  1. Humans are making the rules, and humans are unpredictable.
  2. There are a number of "opposing forces" in play. Restaurant owners obviously want their businesses open, and put pressure on elected officials to make that possible. The disease itself ebbs and flows. And we also are learning more about the best (or at least least awful) way to control the spread of the disease. Even very simple systems with these kinds of opposing forces can display chaotic behavior.
  3. Again, to repeat, conditions change over time and local conditions can change quite rapidly from week to week.
So even if the people making the rules were perfect, which they most certainly are not, the rules would likely appear chaotic and confusing to an outside observer because the situation itself involves large amounts of chaos and confusion.
 
I think that the "rules" are likely to be highly unpredictable for a number of reasons:
  1. Humans are making the rules, and humans are unpredictable.
  2. There are a number of "opposing forces" in play. Restaurant owners obviously want their businesses open, and put pressure on elected officials to make that possible. The disease itself ebbs and flows. And we also are learning more about the best (or at least least awful) way to control the spread of the disease. Even very simple systems with these kinds of opposing forces can display chaotic behavior.
  3. Again, to repeat, conditions change over time and local conditions can change quite rapidly from week to week.
So even if the people making the rules were perfect, which they most certainly are not, the rules would likely appear chaotic and confusing to an outside observer because the situation itself involves large amounts of chaos and confusion.
Exactly this. With science we learn new things and with a new virus nobody gets it 100% right. Here in Bucks County Pa. in the suburbs of Philly they recently announced they're starting up intramural basketball, my son is in 8th grade and wants to play as he's been in school only virtually since March. But cases are way higher than in March and with a new more contagious strain(s) and my wife having received her first shot it isn't logical. The local politicians will say they're "empowering parents to decide for themselves" but it's really just pawning off the responsibility of the decision they were elected to make. So the parent needs to be the bad guy or risk it . I'm not sure logic will work with Barry. Humans evolved to be sharks and bears but not invisible viruses, unfortunately some still don't get it
 
I'm just curious as to what are the local rules of my fellow Ebikers when it comes to dining out in their cities. Here in Palm Springs CA, (Riverside County) no restaurants are open for dine in or dine outside. I just played golf this morning with a guy that just returned from Newport Beach, CA (Orange County) and many restaurants were open for inside and outside dining. Word was, local authorities are not enforcing the rules of no in or out dining. What's it like in your neck of the woods?

I miss going out for a nice meal....
Since SoCal is my neck of the woods, you will find it differs in each city/county. I've also noticed many restaurants are allowing dining in different ways:

1. You can order, they will give it to you in takeout boxes and you can eat on their patio, no waiter service.
2. Waiter service, but takeout boxes, and server will refill drinks etc.
3. Full service outdoor dining
4. Indoor dining (!)

Personally, I think socially distanced outdoor dining in small parties (4 or less) with safety protocols is okay. SoCal is lucky as the weather permits outdoor dining but I am surprised at the places that do indoor dining.

We'll occasionally do #1 (most strip malls have a shared outdoor eating area) just for the sake of eating fresh hot food but during this recent surge, would not even attempt #4. I asked some of the places we get takeout at about their decision to continue to do outdoor dining, and their response is usually "others bigger than us are doing it (pointing at the Denny's across the parking lot)" or "no one is checking".

I feel for these businesses (esp the smaller ones), I just hope they use as many safety protocols as they can.
 
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We have eaten in a restaurant once since this all began. Being served by someone in a mask does not allow you to relax and forget the pandemic. Quite the contrary. Makes you very aware of the riskiness of the proposition, for them and for you. We have ordered take out maybe once a month.

I am so tired of my own cooking!!! I am an excellent cook and I like cooking. But I just want to eat something that I didn't cook. I want to learn from someone else's food. I want to be surprised. And ideally, I'd like to do this at a sidewalk cafe in the French Pyrénées 😁...
Amen to being tired of one's own cooking!!!
 
Amen to being tired of one's own cooking!!!
Both of us cook, thank God. We do get tired of cooking occasionally, and drag out a pack of hot dogs or fry up some burgers on those days neither of us is feeling inspired. I think it's amazing though, how frequently we do, and much more willing we are, when it comes to new recipes. We've discovered some really good stuff - way more than discovering a "dud"! Stuff neither of us have ever done before. We actually put a star on the top of the ones that were outstanding and they go in their own pile, as we both have trouble remembering them when we want to circle back and make them again! Still, I can't wait to comfortably enter a restaurant again. -Al
 
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