Lief is reporting from the San Diego area in California

Summary

• Schools – Public schools have been doing online classes the entire year
• Mask Compliance – almost total compliance indoor, 
• Restaurants – Most have shifted to outdoor dining, 25% indoor dining
•  Religious Gatherings – His church is meeting outside, offering their outdoor space for other churches to use
•  Movie Theaters – Mostly closed, some still open for whole-theater purchase

Schools

Public has been closed/online, my oldest two girls are in private school. School started in hybrid week on/off, my 7th grader has gone back full-time. both back in-person full-time as of March 8th. Both have had major school functions cancelled class trips big and small.

Religious Services

At the beginning of this pandemic, there was no meeting, either indoor or outdoor.

Our church (PCA) has been meeting outside since last spring while still broadcasting on Facebook and YouTube. When raining, we’ve had online-only. Parishioners are masked when moving around and when singing, optional when sitting (usual social distancing).

Other churches use our property now for services later in the day after having to leave their existing indoor location. I’d guess about 2/3s are back in-person…more just last Sunday (I’m assuming after getting the vaccine)

Movie Theaters

Local one to us closed for a bit but reopened over the summer, initially for whole theater purchase. We went to a movie in September, online had auto-socially distanced seat selection. The basic movie experience was same same…soda machines were closed to customers (could still buy but not self-fill).

What Matters To Me

For my kids, they miss their friends. We’ve had to cancel birthdays, class trips, possibly this years’ graduation ceremony. For my wife, she has missed going places, seeing people, and eating out. She’s felt like she’s missing out on many of those essential life moment, for example, she couldn’t attend her grandmother’s funeral. She also has missed hosting dinner parties.

For myself, I used to hold monthly wine tastings with my friends and I hosted a bible study within my church and those have fallen off. I’m also looking forward to getting back together with my D&D gaming group. 

The closed-open-closed-again nature of the restrictions means that a lot of local businesses have shut down. I’ve gotten a lot of emails that said “Sorry, but having to close a 3rd time…we’ve made the hard decision…not going to reopen ever”

COVID and Medicine.

My wife was pregnant during much of this crisis and, I couldn’t go to any of the prenatal doc visits. She couldn’t have anyone there for the birth.

She has been working as a nurse and worked in the COVID ICU for four weeks. That was very difficult, treating so many who were suffering and dying alone, separated from their family members and unable to have those important moments to say goodbye.

The dentist is open. The rules are to wait outside, only one person may come into the lobby. Patients wash their hands for 20 seconds, and use a special mouth rinse for 20 seconds.