Over the past few weeks, I have taken some walks, taken some bicycle rides and gone to the store occasionally. And I have yet to see a SINGLE person doing anything – stepping aside, pausing, moving over – to put 6ft between them and another person.
I have seen plenty of people just keep walking down the center of the sidewalk rather than walk close to the building line or the curb so they and another person could pass each other but still be “social distanced.”
I have seen people go right up to the corner when they have to wait for a green light to cross the street, even if there’s already a person standing there – or 2 or 5 or 8 other people.
I have seen people on lines inside and outside stores who were not even 2ft apart.
I have seen people go up to a grocery-store display or produce item or deli counter even if somebody else is there, rather than wait till the other person moves on.
I have seen people stand on a sidewalk where it would be impossible for anybody to pass them without being closer than 6ft, when they could stand a couple of feet over and it not be a problem.
And so on. These are just some examples.
Friends who live in the suburbs and other parts of the country have told me this is not the case where they are – that people are staying away from others when they’re out in public. When I’m out, I’m frequently crossing the street, walking on the street side of parked cars or standing at the head of an aisle until I can walk down it without being close to somebody. I haven't seen anybody else do this.
When you go out, do you just walk along or go through a store as you always have, regardless of who’s nearby or how many people are in an aisle or whatever? And if so, WHY?
If you see somebody coming from the other direction, can’t you step to the side to allow distance when you pass? When you exit a building, can’t you stand in the doorway for a few seconds until that person coming down the sidewalk is past the building? Instead of walking right up next to another shopper who wants to look at the same product as you, can’t you wait the few seconds it will probably take them to pick their item?
In all these cases, all you need to do to be properly social-distanced would be taking a couple of steps over or standing still for 5 or 10 seconds…in other words, not an inconvenience.
Please, explain to me why nobody I have seen (in the 80's, between Roosevelt & Northern Blvd) is actually social-distancing. I'm annoyed by this, yes, but it's concerning too.