Happy Memorial Day 2020!

[webny99]

Happy Memorial Day!
It's crazy to think that New Years Day was the last big holiday. How much has changed since then!

How are you, and the people in your area, handling the first major holiday since the start of the global pandemic? Is there still a lot of social distancing, or many large parties and gatherings?

[hotdogPi]

It's crazy to think that New Years Day was the last big holiday. How much has changed since then!

What happened to Easter?

[wanderer2575]

It's Memorial Day.  I'd like to think that large parties are not first on everyone's mind.

[US71]

It's Memorial Day.  I'd like to think that large parties are not first on everyone's mind.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/beaches-parks-full-memorial-day-weekend-pandemic-200524183947394.html

[ozarkman417]

There's the Lake of the Ozarks story I posted in the Coronavirus thread.. no social distancing at that pool party, despite a sign saying to stay six feet apart. I usually go to a memorial service at the Springfield National Cemetery, but A. it's raining. B. COVID-19.

[webny99]

It's crazy to think that New Years Day was the last big holiday. How much has changed since then!

What happened to Easter?

Easter is not one of the big 6 holidays. Many (most?) companies are open on Easter Monday, so this is the first major widely celebrated weekday holiday since New Years.

[Ben114]

It's crazy to think that New Years Day was the last big holiday. How much has changed since then!

What happened to Easter?

Easter is not one of the big 6 holidays. Many (most?) companies are open on Easter Monday, so this is the first major widely celebrated weekday holiday since New Years.

Easter is more of a religious holiday. My mother's side of the family is Catholic, and every year we gather for Easter dinner.

I never do anything special for Memorial Day, and today just feels like the last 8-10 weeks. (I have absolutely lost track of the days.)

[US71]

There's the Lake of the Ozarks story I posted in the Coronavirus thread.. no social distancing at that pool party, despite a sign saying to stay six feet apart. I usually go to a memorial service at the Springfield National Cemetery, but A. it's raining. B. COVID-19.

I didn't even get a notice this year,

[GaryV]

It's Memorial Day.  I'd like to think that large parties are not first on everyone's mind.

Furniture sales?

Seriously, every year there are editorials telling us to remember on Memorial Day, and every year people go shopping or to the beach instead.

For the last several years we've been on vacation Memorial Day week.  But this year we had to cancel. 

Instead we joined in a group of about 8 people who cooked meals (2 meals for 60 people each) in the church kitchen for the rotating homeless shelter.  The shelter can't rotate between churches, synagogues and mosques because of COVID - the patrons are being put up in a motel instead.  We packed the meals individually and froze them, and they can be microwaved and served at the motel.

[1995hoo]

Sad day to go for a walk and pass the neighborhood pool. It was a perfect pool day, sunny and warm but not broiling hot, but the pools are closed until at least June 10.

We went to Arlington Cemetery to visit my father's niche at the columbarium.

[webny99]

Went out to a park today, and people seemed to be mostly social distancing, but there was basically no mask wearing.
Masks seem to increasingly be worn only in places like grocery stores, not so much outdoors.

[jeffandnicole]

It's crazy to think that New Years Day was the last big holiday. How much has changed since then!

What happened to Easter?

Easter is not one of the big 6 holidays. Many (most?) companies are open on Easter Monday, so this is the first major widely celebrated weekday holiday since New Years.

Easter is always on a Sunday, so no reason to close businesses on a weekday.

However, the stock markets are closed on Good Friday whereas almost no other regular business is, which is an oddity in itself.

[Roadgeekteen]

Well, it seems like social distancing is getting ignored now in a lot of place. We will see if that affects the coronavirus deaths.

[GaryV]

The Detroit News reported this morning that 2 people from out of state traveled to Traverse City to take advantage of the "opening", and they have COVID-19.  One is hospitalized, the other quarantined.  6 others that they came in contact with are also in quarantine.

[1995hoo]

....
Masks seem to increasingly be worn only in places like grocery stores, not so much outdoors.

Seems to me whether you need to wear one outdoors depends on what you're doing outdoors and whether you'll be in the vicinity of other people outside your immediate family. For example, yesterday when we drove into Arlington Cemetery we had to show security we had masks with us, though we weren't wearing them at the time (no reason to when it's just the two of us in our own car). When we got to the columbarium where my father is inurned, there was nobody else around, so we put the masks in our pockets to allow us to put them on if anyone else showed up nearby. Why wear them when nobody else is around? If other people had been there or shown up while we were there, we would have worn them (two people showed up as we were leaving, but we didn't pass near each other).

I don't wear one when I go for a walk in the afternoon after I finish work because I won't be around anyone else for long enough to give me a reason to wear one. Likewise, on Saturday when I was outside doing yard work I didn't wear one either–no reason to do so.

But if I were standing on line to enter Home Depot or the grocery store or the like, then I would absolutely wear one.

[webny99]

....
Masks seem to increasingly be worn only in places like grocery stores, not so much outdoors.

Seems to me whether you need to wear one outdoors depends on what you're doing outdoors and whether you'll be in the vicinity of other people outside your immediate family.

That's how it is here, too. I think this is heavily influenced by the fact that we share a state with NYC. If that wasn't the case, I'm not sure that mask wearing would have become the norm, since most of upstate wasn't hit that hard.
I agree that there are some cases when a mask should be worn outdoors, but I occasionally see people wearing a mask while out for a walk, which I find baffling. I can see it being needed in Manhattan, but not on a quiet suburban street.

[NWI_Irish96]

I'm usually with 250,000+ other people at the world's most attended sporting event, but that's been pushed back to August this year.

[US71]

Well, it seems like social distancing is getting ignored now in a lot of place. We will see if that affects the coronavirus deaths.

Tempting fate is not a good thing

[1995hoo]

....
Masks seem to increasingly be worn only in places like grocery stores, not so much outdoors.

Seems to me whether you need to wear one outdoors depends on what you're doing outdoors and whether you'll be in the vicinity of other people outside your immediate family.

That's how it is here, too. I think this is heavily influenced by the fact that we share a state with NYC. If that wasn't the case, I'm not sure that mask wearing would have become the norm, since most of upstate wasn't hit that hard.
I agree that there are some cases when a mask should be worn outdoors, but I occasionally see people wearing a mask while out for a walk, which I find baffling. I can see it being needed in Manhattan, but not on a quiet suburban street.

I've seen people biking with masks on. I'd find that horribly uncomfortable. As it is, I think we've been lucky to have had an unseasonably cool month of May. A mask can get really unpleasant in hot, humid weather (and if you wear prescription glasses, as I do, the lens-fogging problem can get a lot worse when it's humid–I can't imagine wearing prescription sunglasses and a mask while cycling).

[US71]

....
Masks seem to increasingly be worn only in places like grocery stores, not so much outdoors.

Seems to me whether you need to wear one outdoors depends on what you're doing outdoors and whether you'll be in the vicinity of other people outside your immediate family.

That's how it is here, too. I think this is heavily influenced by the fact that we share a state with NYC. If that wasn't the case, I'm not sure that mask wearing would have become the norm, since most of upstate wasn't hit that hard.
I agree that there are some cases when a mask should be worn outdoors, but I occasionally see people wearing a mask while out for a walk, which I find baffling. I can see it being needed in Manhattan, but not on a quiet suburban street.

I've seen people biking with masks on. I'd find that horribly uncomfortable. As it is, I think we've been lucky to have had an unseasonably cool month of May. A mask can get really unpleasant in hot, humid weather (and if you wear prescription glasses, as I do, the lens-fogging problem can get a lot worse when it's humid–I can't imagine wearing prescription sunglasses and a mask while cycling).

When I go out walking, I usually skip the mask since there's almost no chance of running into anyone. If I do, I just go around them.

[7/8]

Actually, one thing I considered mentioning, but decided to omit, is that Good Friday seems to have been picking up steam as a holiday in recent years, including more businesses closing that didn't used to. The majority still seem to be open, though.

Huh, I would've assumed Good Friday was a holiday in the US, but I guess not.

And no one's mentioned President's Day in February (I know that one since it coincides with Ontario's Family Day).

The weekend before was a long weekend in Canada, considered the start of summer, and we had one nice day of weather here.

Apparently there were almost 10 000 people in a Toronto park last weekend, so it seems some people have gotten tired of social distancing: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-premier-tells-reckless-people-who-packed-toronto-park-to-get-tested-for-covid-19-1.4952962

[US71]

Actually, one thing I considered mentioning, but decided to omit, is that Good Friday seems to have been picking up steam as a holiday in recent years, including more businesses closing that didn't used to. The majority still seem to be open, though.

Huh, I would've assumed Good Friday was a holiday in the US, but I guess not.

And no one's mentioned President's Day in February (I know that one since it coincides with Ontario's Family Day).

The weekend before was a long weekend in Canada, considered the start of summer, and we had one nice day of weather here.

Apparently there were almost 10 000 people in a Toronto park last weekend, so it seems some people have gotten tired of social distancing: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-premier-tells-reckless-people-who-packed-toronto-park-to-get-tested-for-covid-19-1.4952962

Social distancing doesn't mean a lot to me since I know so few people here in town outside my neighbors. Being "stranded" inside sucks, but I'm starting to do some solo daytrips.

[1995hoo]

Actually, one thing I considered mentioning, but decided to omit, is that Good Friday seems to have been picking up steam as a holiday in recent years, including more businesses closing that didn't used to. The majority still seem to be open, though.

Huh, I would've assumed Good Friday was a holiday in the US, but I guess not.

And no one's mentioned President's Day in February (I know that one since it coincides with Ontario's Family Day).

....

Part of the issue in the US is that the states, and the private sector, don't have to follow the federal holidays. Some are pretty universal–Thanksgiving and Christmas are the biggest two (July 4 is universally a holiday, but many retail businesses are open that day). Some are generally ignored by the private sector–Columbus Day and Veterans' Day are the most obvious there.

But Washington's Birthday is a good example of the differences. The federal holiday is called Washington's Birthday by statute. People who insist it is "now" called "Presidents' Day" are simply wrong if they're referring to the federal holiday. Some states do call it "Presidents' Day," however (though which presidents are honored is sometimes a matter of dispute; four presidents were born in February). Virginia calls it "George Washington Day." Then you have Alabama, which calls it "Washington and Jefferson Day" even though Jefferson was born in April–I assume the idea there is to be sure to avoid honoring Lincoln.

Then there are state holidays not observed at the federal level and not observed in all states. Some states observe Good Friday, some observe just the afternoon that day. Hawaii has Kuhio Day on March 26. Alabama and Mississippi observe Jeff Davis's birthday.

[webny99]

Actually, one thing I considered mentioning, but decided to omit, is that Good Friday seems to have been picking up steam as a holiday in recent years, including more businesses closing that didn't used to. The majority still seem to be open, though.

Huh, I would've assumed Good Friday was a holiday in the US, but I guess not.
And no one's mentioned President's Day in February (I know that one since it coincides with Ontario's Family Day).
....

Part of the issue in the US is that the states, and the private sector, don't have to follow the federal holidays. Some are pretty universal–Thanksgiving and Christmas are the biggest two (July 4 is universally a holiday, but many retail businesses are open that day). Some are generally ignored by the private sector–Columbus Day and Veterans' Day are the most obvious there.

That pretty much sums up what my response was going to be before I read yours.
However, I always thought President's Day fit pretty neatly into the same bucket as Columbus Day and Veterans Day, but maybe I'm wrong on that. It's certainly ignored by the private sector around here, anyways.

[US71]

Arkansas used to celebrate Robert E Lee's birthday on the MLK holiday. REL's birthday celebration has been moved to October and is no longer considered a "holiday".