An informed guide to the global outbreak, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. |
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More than half of the country has some form of face mask requirement in place: Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and Colorado all issued statewide mask mandates in the last few days. But there is staunch resistance from those who see mask mandates as an attack on personal liberty. |
Public health officials say wearing a simple cloth mask is one of the most basic ways to prevent the spread of the virus. But the issue became increasingly partisan after President Trump eschewed them and downplayed their benefits. In many surveys, there is a 20-point partisan split, with Republicans much less likely to wear masks. A recent study found that your political affiliation is the best predictor of whether you wear a mask, even more than your age or where you live. |
Even so, self-reported mask use in the U.S. is high: About 80 percent of Americans said they wore masks frequently or always when they were close to other people — a higher rate than in France, Canada or Australia. |
Can we have class outside this year? |
 | | An early fresh-air school in New York City.Bain News Service, via Library of Congress |
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In California, most schools will teach only remotely this fall. In New York City and many other large districts, children will be in class for only a few days a week. Such policies have “angered both exhausted parents, who feel that it is not nearly enough, and many teachers, who fear it as way too much,” writes Ginia Bellafante, The Times’s Big City columnist. But there is one possible stopgap that isn’t getting enough attention: holding classes outdoors. |
“One of the few things we know about the coronavirus with any degree of certainty is that the risk of contracting it diminishes outside — a review of 7,000 cases in China recorded only one instance of fresh-air transmission,” Ginia writes. There is ample historical precedent, even in more northern climates like New England during the winter. During the early 20th century, when epidemics of flu and tuberculosis were common, hundreds of outdoor schools were created, with students swaddled in blankets in the winter to learn in the open air. |
Like most routines and rituals during the pandemic, vacations are anything but normal this summer. But for a few writers itching to get away, the extra steps to ensure their health and safety were worth it. |
For Eric Lipton, a Times investigative reporter in Washington, that meant heading to the wilds of Maine with his wife and their three young children — an adventure requiring an 11-hour car ride and two weeks of self-quarantine. |
“When we arrived at our house rental in Maine late that afternoon, we knew immediately we had made the right choice, even if this trip was going to be very unusual,” Eric wrote. Though they couldn’t interact with other people, his family took carefully organized day trips and found a lifeline in curbside pickup. |
But not everyone is retreating to the woods. For the workers who make many vacations possible — at hotels, restaurants, bars, airlines and tour companies — returning to the job has elicited a range of emotions. |
A few tips. If you decide to travel, first research the restrictions for your desired destination. You may also want to look up the transmission rate and how easy it is to isolate yourself, if necessary. Finally, consider whether you will need to quarantine when you return home. |
What else we’re following |
| Sitting here day after day watching the news and feeling helpless was depressing, but I saw a commercial in May about joining a clinical trial so I applied thinking I was too old, at 71. Surprisingly, I received a call. They scheduled a physical to verify my suitability, and now I’m in. I travel about an hour to and from the site, and so far have had a lot of blood drawn, three nasal swab tests and two vaccines. I expect to participate through the spring of 2021, and feel proud that I am hopefully making a small contribution to finding a vaccine for Covid-19. |
| — Karen Beltz, Bluffton, S.C. |
Let us know how you’re dealing with the outbreak. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. |
| Adam Pasick contributed to today’s newsletter. |
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