Summertime

The unofficial start of summer in the age of coronavirus is upon us with the Memorial Day weekend coming up. The old Gershwin song told us, “Summertime, And the livin’ is easy”. Well, not so fast. Yes, all 50 states are starting to re-open, some quicker than others. The Jersey shore beaches and boardwalks will be open with social distancing, of course. But no amusement rides yet. Good news in Pennsylvania, you can now order a cocktail with your curbside pick up order from your favorite restaurant. You can enjoy your Cosmo is a Styraform cup. There are still demonstrations and even arrests at small businesses like gyms whose owners are desperate to survive and are defying orders to stay closed. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer thought she had her hands full with armed protestors showing at the capital demanding she open the state back up. Now she’s dealing with catastrophic flooding in Midland after two dams broke sending nine feet of water into a small city of just over 40,000.

President Trump is so over this coronavirus thing. He quashed the release of a 67 page CDC report on how to gradually open the country. Instead, the White House told the CDC to release 6 pages of charts not to scare people. Trump loves colorful charts. As usual, Trump changed his mind and now has allowed the release of the report with some toned down language. He’s personally defied every precaution his public health officials have recommended. He won’t wear mask. He won’t stay socially distant. Oh, and just to show how much smarter he is than the medical professionals, he is taking hydroxychloroquine, the malaria and lupus drug, that just about all medical professionals believe is unproven to treat or prevent the virus and could have dangerous and even deadly side effects. Trump is now thinking of re-scheduling the G-7 Summit for Camp David in June. Bring your own hand sanitizer. Masks optional. He’s not wearing one.

Summertime means sports. We should be in the middle of NBA and NHL playoffs, and, of course, baseball. They are all trying to figure out how to get back to playing with all kinds of ridiculous restrictions. Baseball desperately wants to be the first sport back. MLB is trying to sell a plan to the players union for an 82 game season with testing and all kinds of rules including no spitting. Everyone thinks the biggest hurdle to re-starting baseball is getting millionaire players and millionaire owners to agree on how the players will get paid. If they can stop spitting in baseball, the rest is easy. The NFL has had more time to get ready but they play a game that does not promote social distancing. They hope to open training camps in July.

School kids of all ages have been home for weeks trying to learn virtually and driving their parents crazy as they try to work from home. What does summer vacation look like? Are the kids camps going to be open? Do you want to send them if they are? And what about going back to school in the fall? School districts and colleges are worried about a resurgence of the virus in the fall. Notre Dame has announced it will start the fall semester in August and be done before Thanksgiving just in case the virus comes back in the fall with flu season.

We all hope we can safely get back a new normal this summer. People are tired, frustrated, and scared about the world that has changed so radically, so quickly. Maybe we should look to an unlikely place for hope. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy says it’s over in his state. “It will be open, just like it was prior to the virus.” Social distancing and masks are only recommended. I’m sure you can get a cheap flight where “the livin’ is easy.”