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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Stathis Papaioannou via extropy-chat<br><br><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>>>…</b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>It has been interesting to watch in California. The fed has chosen to stand down on the stay-home business, the state government has mostly stepped aside. Counties are still making demands, but cities are generally not following. I haven’t heard of sheriffs making arrests over businesses which refuse to close. At some point, economic reality demand it: the show must go on. We have bills to pay.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt'>The businesses will not stay open long without customers, afraid of a deadly disease or afraid to spend money because their jobs or investments are in jeopardy…</span> <o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal>-- <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Stathis Papaioannou<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Stathis the early openers and the non-closers enjoyed more business during the shutdown because they had less competition. I noticed that people get it: they want to save their favorite businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Another factor: plenty of us have studied the numbers carefully and recognized where the real risk is greatest: places where it is crowded. The super high infection rates are in the really big cities, the few places where Godzilla would go were she to emerge from the sea. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>I have been to New York City: everywhere is super crowded there. A few places in San Jose are really crowded always, a geographically small but popular areas. OK, no go. We know where those places are, and we don’t go there. Really packed restaurants where it is impossible to give people enough space: forget it. The local dry cleaners, the grocery store, the few retail outlets I still use, usual places I do business were not crowded before. So… I deem them sufficiently safe to go back.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Think about the really dangerous places: the hospital, nursing homes, big parties, crowded anything. Pretty much anywhere else: good to go. The local businesses will be OK, the ones I care about will.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>I don’t live in a big city, and now I will not go there, even to visit. It was scary enough knowing you could get shot or Godzilla could show up at any moment. Now we have a new danger in addition.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>spike<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></body></html>