Joe Henderson
Pinellas County got it right this time.
The images from Monday’s reopening of the county’s beaches showed people behaving responsibly, along with plenty of law enforcement to make sure they did.
People kept safe distances between themselves and others. Some even used seaweed to outline their boundaries, and everyone seemed to honor that.
Refreshing. The county needed to send the message that not everyone in Florida is a blockhead after the debacle during spring break.
You remember that, of course. Video of young people ignoring social distancing and other forms of caution on Clearwater Beach went global. That prompted the Clearwater City Commission to close that iconic strip of sand.
But on the reopening, give Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and county officials credit for learning their lesson. They were obviously prepared to ensure that people obeyed the rules while enjoying the sun, sand, and water. Police had high visibility were visible throughout the day, just like Gualtieri promised.
The question, of course, is how long will this last?
That’s on everyone’s mind as restaurants, bars, churches, and other businesses crawl slowly back to life in Phase One of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to reopen the state methodically.
It’s happening.
In Tampa, for instance, the Florida Aquarium plans to reopen on May 15, with online reservations required. Busch Gardens and Sea World could follow not long after that. Everyone wonders when, or if, Disney World gets back to business. Pro sports leagues are mapping strategy to get going again.
Sure, we want all that and more. Absolutely.
But we also can’t take a full-blown counterattack by COVID-19. Health officials keep stressing we could be back in the soup if people drop their guard.
Police can’t be everywhere to enforce safety rules, so it comes down to old-fashioned individual responsibility. Even with that, how confident are we about our safety?
Take this, for instance. You know, just in case.
Republican lawmakers want DeSantis’ support for a liability shield for businesses that reopen. The idea is to protect them from lawsuits if a customer or employee says they got COVID-19 in their establishments. How anyone prove that escapes me. Still, the idea sends a disturbing message about the state of things today.
Could that shield could be used against employees who decide they won’t risk their health. Would they be kicked off unemployment for refusing to return to work in a potentially risky environment?
Of course, that assumes they can navigate the state’s disastrous unemployment system to get benefits in the first place. But that’s a column for another day.
For now, we’ll end this as it began, with some praise for Pinellas. People there showed, for a day at least, that it’s possible to responsibly and respectfully to enjoy the sun.
These days, we take victories where we can get them.
One comment
DisplacedCTYankee
May 6, 2020 at 8:19 am
Strange to see the words “safely” and “responsibly” and “Florida” in the same sentence.
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