COVID19 Update

It's been a while since I had a post around the Coronavirus Pandemic, so thought I'd post an update. The cases in America and around the world continue to rise and so far there isn't much expectation of anything changing in the near future.

In America, the total number of positive cases crossed 5 million and there have been over 160,000 deaths.

Locally, cases are increasing in Florida. We have seen masks become more widespread in public, however there is still no law or rule to wear them in our county although there are requirements in Jax Beach and other areas in Florida. We wear them whenever we're out in public. Our goal right now is to continue avoiding public places and especially indoor spaces. We have been going to the beach, playing tennis, and eat at restaurants, but only outdoors. It's hot this time of year, so it's not always comfortable or convenient, but we believe it's necessary and reduces our possibility of exposure. 

The big decision point for us recently was around school. The first day of school was pushed back by three weeks to August 31st 2020. Our school district has 4 options available: 

1. School onsite 5 days per week at the current schools
2. Online school with the current school where your child is enrolled
3. Online school with the county virtual school 
4. Homeschooling

We have given it a lot of thought and although it looks like over 70% of students are planning to go back to school with option 1, we've currently chosen option 2 for our kids. Connor and Paige did pretty well with it at the beginning of the pandemic and we feel like it would be smart to hold off on sending them back. This past week some schools in Georgia started up and there were some pictures shared on social media showing crowded hallways and students without any social distancing or masks. We've subsequently heard reports that these schools have now had confirmed COVID19 cases. 

There are lots of news reports right now around COVID19, lots of misinformation, politicization and anger/fear. It continues to be something we're learning to live with and we are still doing our best to stay healthy.