Thread by @AbraarKaran

1/ New #covid19 executive orders in #Massachusetts today from Gov Baker + team in setting of #covid19 hospitalizations being up 145% since Labor Day. While there is now a mask mandate & curfews, I want to focus attention on *private indoor gatherings* (limit 10 people right now)

2/ We need to do multiple things right now— *one* of those is to make people realize this is getting serious again; cases & hospitalizations are going up. We are heading in the wrong direction. Executive orders may help do that in part.

3/ But additionally, we need to stop transmission. Now- restricting people from being out after 10 pm; I don’t think many people are out after that time anyways esp as the weather gets much worse. But— they still very well may be congregating at home, possibly w/ friends etc

4/ Ten people is NOT a magic number; even with 10 people, if one of those people is infectious with #covid19, you can very well have spread to many others. And in most indoor private socializing scenarios, masks are not worn. Eating, drinking etc not conducive to masking

5/ Now we aren’t going to be able to efficiently regulate what people do in private.

In theory, there is a $500 fine for people that break the indoor gatherings limit that can be enforced by public health & police departments, per state website.

6/ But to stop the epidemic & stop transmission, we aren’t going to be able to police our way out of this.

We need to support people but we also need people to avoid unnecessary indoor crowded socialization in private gatherings.

Halloween didn’t help that cause here.

7/ Do more restrictions on outdoor activities lead to more private indoor socialization + more viral spread? I don’t know for sure but this is an important policy question & reminds me of when Los Angeles shut down beaches during July 4th weekend, which made little sense.

7.5/ Given the weather here, I don’t think the current executive order will necessarily push that outdoor needle one way or another; my bigger concern again is around indoor spread— I would not advise eating at indoor restaurants right now. Pay for take-out, support businesses

8/ In terms of the face coverings mandatory order...again— while this is for public places, we are most concerned about indoor transmission without masks, & this certainly seems to be happening in private indoor places. This is a tough issue!

8.5/ Does mandatory outdoor masking lead to more indoor private unmasking (if people are tired from having their mask on all day?) Or possibly the latter happens anyways and mandatory masking prevents public transmission, making private socialization safer. Hard to know

9/ I think this is a complex issue; there is some level of underestimation of #COVID19 risk, esp within one’s home or w/ close friends; I have seen it happen around me multiple times; also believe there is some level of pandemic fatigue + denial

10/ Recent friend had a new cough; I pointed it out & they initially were in denial about it, claiming they didn’t have a fever so they were alright— this person knows that you can have #covid19 w/o a fever but couldn’t believe they could have it.

11/ They eventually agreed, got tested; they were negative. That’s great— but the point is that even people who understand the science have some level of “can’t happen to me” mentality which can be detrimental.