I’ve swum laps at the local city pool nearly 300 times since it reopened after the Covid lockdown in 2020.
Each time I enter, my temperature is taken, I answer a series of Covid 19 screening questions and am asked my my name & phone number. All of this info is then duly recorded on a handwritten log by a lifeguard who is doing the covid screening that day.
When the pools first opened in July 2020, it was reassuring that they were limiting patrons, checking for fevers and marinating strict social distancing and cleaning protocols.
Now it just seems silly.
I asked the screener last week what they did with the logs. He said they have to keep them in a binder.
I asked if they ever used the logs for contact tracing or found someone who had covid. He said, one time at the very beginning of the pandemic a swimmer tested positive for covid and he thinks someone called other swimmer who might have been exposed. He wasn’t sure.
I didn’t press the issue, because he’s simply doing his job. I don’t mind following the procedure.
I just think it’s theater.
By my calculations, the two pools I visit have logged 90,000 screenings. Each screening takes a few minutes. It also requires the pool to have a station setup and a full time employee manning it.
Patrons have to wait in line – usually it takes 2-5 minutes but during peak times it can take 15 minutes.
90,000 screenings for one possible case.
The lockers are all zipped tied shut to prevent people from using them. Benches are tuned upside down so they cannot be sat upon. People dress/undress at poolside or awkwardly balance on one leg in the locker room as they try to dress standing up.
Only two of the 15 sinks, one of the 6 urinals and one of the 12 toilets are open. The rest are taped shut with crime scene tape and “closed for social distancing” signs.
I wonder if anybody thinks this is effective at preventing covid from spreading.
I think Raleigh and the State of NC have done a decent job during the pandemic. We had lockdowns, partial lockdowns, various mask mandates and ever-changing restrictions. Generally, I think our Governor, our mayor and our Department of Health and Human Services have honestly attempted to make reasonable decisions to prevent the spread of covid without decimating society.
They had good intentions.
But they move slow. Like all government entities, they implement a procedure and then it tends to stick around for a long, long time – long after people have stopped complying.
I see many people wearing masks under their noses – especially front lie workers who have to mask up all day.
I see many people wearing bandanas or neck gaiters, which have been shown to be effectively useless.
Some people are still social distancing, but more and more I see people huddled close together talking and going about normal daily activities.
Since nearly 50% of NC’s population is fully vaccinated, I understand all of this behavior.
Our governor has stated we will be fully reopened in June and all restrictions will be lifted except for a mask mandate indoors.
I’ve got news for him – while many people are participating in mask theater to avoid confrontation, we all already know that most of this has become a farce.
I have my fingers crossed that between vaccinations, infections and time covid will have burned itself out and that we won’t experience worse spikes down the road.
Note: A few days after this post, the CDC did a sudden about face and announced that it now recommends fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks outdoors or in most indoor settings. North Carolina followed suit the next day and changed the mask guidelines as well. The pool has not yet made any changes, but I suspect they will eliminate mask requirements and covid check ins soon. I do not believe that my writing about this had any impact whatsoever on these changes. Nonetheless, I’ll take a victory any way I get one.