'If It's Here, It's Here': America's Retirees Confront the Virus in Florida

[kas52]

‘If It’s Here, It’s Here’: America’s Retirees Confront Coronavirus in Florida - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/us/coronavirus-florida-elderly.html?smid=em-share)

[davem4616]

‘If It’s Here, It’s Here’: America’s Retirees Confront Coronavirus in Florida - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/us/coronavirus-florida-elderly.html?smid=em-share)



interesting article...thanks for sharing

no surprise here that the numbers in TV are going up though....young families have been constantly coming to TV from out of state "to see Grandma & Grampa" all along and none of them are quarantining upon arrival as many states are requiring people to do.

the number of positive cases in the Tri-Country area have been steadily going up...

To be safe one has to actually choose to play it safe...and to do it consistently

[billethkid]

The reality check that is missing from most reporting is the broad brush application of incidences.....for accuracy one needs to know the stats for where they live and not be lumped in with the Miami numbers, for example.

[Nucky]

I am so disappointed in the actions of what I considered to be some pretty smart apples in the north and some pretty smart people in The Villages as far as their Corona Virus Behavior goes. Just shameful. I don't say anything directly because what's the use? They know it all!

All we can do is try to do the best we can.

[Stu from NYC]

We should all do a better job at protecting ourselves but surprised how many factual errors were in the article.

NYT is a shell of its former self.

[bagboy]

I usually give people the benefit of the doubt regarding their intelligence and/or common sense. I went to our mailbox today, and there were three females having a conversation in close proximity to each other, none wore a mask, and they were blocking the walkway to the rear boxes. I walked around through the grass, got my mail, and headed back the way I came. I overheard one of them asking a man they apparently knew, "are you staying safe?" I had to laugh, not much point saying something to someone that dense.

[FenneyFanatic]

The Villages is a very large community. To interview a few people and assume that they are representative of the entire community is poor journalism.

[graciegirl]

I can't open it. It wants me to sign up and I tried but I still can't open it. I wonder what it says.

Ah hah. Here is a link that works; ‘If It’s Here, It’s Here’: America’s Retirees Confront Coronavirus in Florida - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/us/coronavirus-florida-elderly.html)

I hate it when so few speak for so many. I think our mask wearing is excellent and has nothing to do with how we vote. What we are mostly are smart old people who are trying to stay alive .

[bbrizendine]

Geez. I didn''t know that we were dancing in the squares every night.

[1948JDG]

Hopefully, the folks in TV will wear masks while in public and definitely if they can't maintain safe distancing.

[Guitarman1951]

Good example of how the press takes things out of context to fit their narrative. Not trying to belittle the dangerous virus and we are wearing our masks, staying home, etc., But when you have 313 cases out of 135,000 people, that is a very low rate. Still, we need to stay vigilant.

[GaryKoca]

We have not been there since June 3, when the Villages was doing a really good job. Looks like things have gotten a bit out of hand since then. A couple of factual errors:
1. Only 12 golf courses in the Villages - way off.
2. Percent of Republicans in the Villages as 2/3s? Based on my experience, it is more like 80-85%.

[Moderator]

Please address the content and accuracy of the quoted article....how Covid-19 is affecting The Villages.

A number of posts have attacked the source of the article or made otherwise political statements. If this continues, the thread will be closed.

Moderator

[Carolynp4]

Couldn’t read the article!

[Luisa]

Good example of how the press takes things out of context to fit their narrative. Not trying to belittle the dangerous virus and we are wearing our masks, staying home, etc., But when you have 313 cases out of 135,000 people, that is a very low rate. Still, we need to stay vigilant.
One third to one half of Sumters cases are in the prisons.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

The Villages is a very large community. To interview a few people and assume that they are representative of the entire community is poor journalism.

Bingo.

The fact that The Villages has one of the lowest contraction rates in the country shows that the people that they interviewed are in the minority.

[Mendy]

We have not been there since June 3, when the Villages was doing a really good job. Looks like things have gotten a bit out of hand since then. A couple of factual errors:
1. Only 12 golf courses in the Villages - way off.
2. Percent of Republicans in the Villages as 2/3s? Based on my experience, it is more like 80-85%.

Jut saw this correction posted

Correction: July 20, 2020
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the number of golf courses in the Villages, Fla. It has 55, not 12. (There are 12 championship golf courses.) The error was repeated in a picture caption.

[Stu from NYC]

Jut saw this correction posted

Correction: July 20, 2020
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the number of golf courses in the Villages, Fla. It has 55, not 12. (There are 12 championship golf courses.) The error was repeated in a picture caption.

Glad they fixed one error. Showed a picture of a swimming pool as part of their article saying how irresponsible the people living here are and seems to me people were spaced well apart.

[graciegirl]

One third to one half of Sumters cases are in the prisons.

Well here is a report from the online news;





"Two more tri-county residents have died of COVID-19 and three more employees at a local long-term care facility have tested positive for the virus.

The victims were identified as a 66-year-old woman from Lake County who tested positive June 30 and an 80-year-old Marion County man who tested positive June 26, hadn’t traveled recently but had been in contact with another Coronavirus patient. The specific communities the victims lived in weren’t released by the Florida Department of Health.

Three more employees also have tested positive at Buffalo Crossing Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, located at 3875 Wedgewood Ln. in The Villages. That long-term care facility reported two employees suffering from the virus on Sunday.

Twenty new cases also have been reported in The Villages and surrounding communities. Those include:

The Villages up three for a total of 313;
Wildwood up six for a total of 129;
Lady Lake up four for a total of 112;
Summerfield up three for a total of 155;
Leesburg up two for a total of 474;
Oxford up one for a total of 49; and
Fruitland Park up one for a total of 48."

[JoMar]

I always find it interesting that we look so hard to nit pick any article that may raise a flag. It's not the statistics that matter, cases are going up in The Villages, hospitalizations are going up in The Villages and deaths are going up and that's only from the data they have. Not everyone gets tested so we have no idea how many are carriers. It amazes me that people here have a tolerance for that, like it's collateral damage necessary for them to live their lives the way the want to. Like Vietnam and previous wars. It's not always the numbers, sometimes it's the trends.

[kanoa1kale2]

I always find it interesting that we look so hard to nit pick any article that may raise a flag. It's not the statistics that matter, cases are going up in The Villages, hospitalizations are going up in The Villages and deaths are going up and that's only from the data they have. Not everyone gets tested so we have no idea how many are carriers. It amazes me that people here have a tolerance for that, like it's collateral damage necessary for them to live their lives the way the want to. Like Vietnam and previous wars. It's not always the numbers, sometimes it's the trends.

There simply is no clarity in the reporting. It is impossible to gauge trends when the testing is erratic and inaccurate. The recent articles regarding positive rates being 98% vs 9.8% are disturbing. It could be as simple as a decimal point shift in the report or intentional to push and agenda. I'm hoping it was a decimal shift. It is not logical to assume no increase in infection rates when you have many people going back to work. When the lockdown was in effect, it was effective and kept the rates down, but realistically, our country cannot be on lockdown for an extended period of time without complete failure. Until we have an effective vaccine, we will have to move along the best we can do. Lake County has a death rate of .0106 from confirmed cases which doesn't seem like much unless you are one of the 1%. The confirmed case percent is .0092 in Lake County which is under 1%. Lake County has 367,000 population. We are doing well in containing it.

[Rosebud1949]

Covid figures today.Lake 3391 positives ( 2 times that of 7th July) Marion 2550 positives. (3 times that of 7th July) Sumter 843p. ( 2 x that of 7th July). Why !! as other postings say Families visiting, Villages travelling to hot spots, and to see family and coming back etc. PANDEMIC... people.....

At least now those of us who care about our families and friends can go to the grocery store in safety, as you HAVE TO wear a mask now.. But hey dont worry non-carers you can all go to Winn Dixie.. no mask regimen there (yet!!)

[Number 10 GI]

The Villages is a very large community. To interview a few people and assume that they are representative of the entire community is poor journalism.

This wasn't journalism it was a hit piece. The article almost sounds gleeful that we "affluent retirees" were getting the virus like we deserve.
I didn't know I was an "affluent retiree", maybe I need to hire a financial advisor to find out where all my affluence is coming from.

[allsport]

29 admissions in one day to the local hospital with Covid 19, specific enough? It is here because the people who did not believe in it put us all at risk.

[mydavid]

One third to one half of Sumters cases are in the prisons. so i guess those lives don't matter

[mydavid]

29 admissions in one day to the local hospital with Covid 19, specific enough? It is here because the people who did not believe in it put us all at risk. Stupid people do what stupid people say. Like this its "just a hoax"

[jimjamuser]

I always find it interesting that we look so hard to nit pick any article that may raise a flag. It's not the statistics that matter, cases are going up in The Villages, hospitalizations are going up in The Villages and deaths are going up and that's only from the data they have. Not everyone gets tested so we have no idea how many are carriers. It amazes me that people here have a tolerance for that, like it's collateral damage necessary for them to live their lives the way the want to. Like Vietnam and previous wars. It's not always the numbers, sometimes it's the trends.
Good post.

[jimjamuser]

29 admissions in one day to the local hospital with Covid 19, specific enough? It is here because the people who did not believe in it put us all at risk.
Agreed

[jimjamuser]

‘If It’s Here, It’s Here’: America’s Retirees Confront Coronavirus in Florida - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/us/coronavirus-florida-elderly.html?smid=em-share)
Overall, it was a good article. The Villiages should be pleased by the fact that, "any publicity is good publicity". The pictures were nice. The whole US is bound to be curious to know how seniors are doing, and in a LARGE retirement center. Curious because of the large baby-boomer demography.

[stadry]

so i guess those lives don't matter
give 'em masks instead of releasing them

[sallybowron]

interesting article...thanks for sharing

no surprise here that the numbers in TV are going up though....young families have been constantly coming to TV from out of state "to see Grandma & Grampa" all along and none of them are quarantining upon arrival as many states are requiring people to do.

the number of positive cases in the Tri-Country area have been steadily going up...

To be safe one has to actually choose to play it safe...and to do it consistently

It may have something to do with the kids coming to visit but I noticed, even before the time he kids visit that more then half of the Villagers were not wearing masks or standing 6 feet away. One of them told me that The Villages would not be struck because "we are not those kind of people." What kind of people get it and what kind of people are the Villagers? I had a doctors appointment today and not even half of the people were wearing masks. What is up with that?

[JoMar]

Covid figures today.Lake 3391 positives ( 2 times that of 7th July) Marion 2550 positives. (3 times that of 7th July) Sumter 843p. ( 2 x that of 7th July). Why !! as other postings say Families visiting, Villages travelling to hot spots, and to see family and coming back etc. PANDEMIC... people.....

At least now those of us who care about our families and friends can go to the grocery store in safety, as you HAVE TO wear a mask now.. But hey dont worry non-carers you can all go to Winn Dixie.. no mask regimen there (yet!!)

Winn Dixie announced today, masks start next Monday.

[Byte1]

When you have much more testing, you are bound to have much more positives. The death rate in the Villages is still very low, therefore with more testing, the ratio of deaths to positives keeps going down, not up. These media articles are meant to induce more artificial panic (if there is such a term for it).
Yes, it is still serious. Yes, we need to be vigilant and take precautions. But, panic --- NO!

[Luisa]

so i guess those lives don't matter

Your words not mine. Nothing to do with what you said. The point was if a large portion of the cases are confined, the cases in the community are less than the numbers reflect. I actually feel bad that incarceration probably puts them at higher risk.

[Joelack99]

Well here is a report from the online news;

Can you clarify what “online news”? Thanks.

[Luisa]

I have been in TV a total of 8 months and I have already personally seen TV misrepresented by the media twice. Once was the golf cart rally and second this article. Most people here have been very good about wearing masks and social distancing for months. Interesting to be a distance away and not really believe what you are being told and actually being there and knowing for yourself.

[Pballer]

I have been in TV a total of 8 months and I have already personally seen TV misrepresented by the media twice. Once was the golf cart rally and second this article. Most people here have been very good about wearing masks and social distancing for months. Interesting to be a distance away and not really believe what you are being told and actually being there and knowing for yourself.

Have you seen the bars in the evening? No masks and no social distancing.

[Spikearoni]

It may have something to do with the kids coming to visit but I noticed, even before the time he kids visit that more then half of the Villagers were not wearing masks or standing 6 feet away. One of them told me that The Villages would not be struck because "we are not those kind of people." What kind of people get it and what kind of people are the Villagers? I had a doctors appointment today and not even half of the people were wearing masks. What is up with that?
Shame on the practitioner’s office for allowing patients to be treated without masks. They should be vigilant about taking temps of all who pay a visit, opening the door if it can’t be pushed, and maintaining social distancing in the waiting room, along with providing disposable masks if a patient is without one.

[Aloha1]

Have you seen the bars in the evening? No masks and no social distancing.

Why are you going there then??

[Stu from NYC]

so i guess those lives don't matter

It was an article about life in the villages and had nothing to do with prisons.

[Stu from NYC]

Have you seen the bars in the evening? No masks and no social distancing.

The bars are wrong to allow it and the people doing this are taking a terrible risk and putting the rest of us at risk.

[Luisa]

Your words not mine. Nothing to do with what you said. The point was if a large portion of the cases are confined, the cases in the community are less than the numbers reflect. I actually feel bad that incarceration probably puts them at higher risk.

It was an article about life in the villages and had nothing to do with prisons.
The Villages is in Sumter County and there are one or two prisons in Sumter County. The statistics are often reported by county.

[Luisa]

Have you seen the bars in the evening? No masks and no social distancing.
I saw this and didn’t like it and then they were closed
2 days later. I think that was a select group and a small group compared to vast numbers staying home. Squares, churches, recreation centers, movies closed except brief openings with good hygiene. Most people in Walmart, Winn Dixie, Lowe’s have been wearing masks for months. I see people social distancing in driveways frequently but not large groups. I do admit I did see one club packed in like sardines and I let them know that was not in their best interest. They were better at the next event.

[YouNeverKnow]

It may have something to do with the kids coming to visit but I noticed, even before the time he kids visit that more then half of the Villagers were not wearing masks or standing 6 feet away. One of them told me that The Villages would not be struck because "we are not those kind of people." What kind of people get it and what kind of people are the Villagers? I had a doctors appointment today and not even half of the people were wearing masks. What is up with that?
What doctors office was that? :shocked:

[Stu from NYC]

The Villages is in Sumter County and there are one or two prisons in Sumter County. The statistics are often reported by county.

The points the article was making was the people living in the villages were playing fast and loose with what we should be doing during the pandemic and used numbers that misrepresented what was happening here.

[Topspinmo]

Have you seen the bars in the evening? No masks and no social distancing.

When you got to bars you risk catching lots of things? :popcorn:

[big guy]

Geez. I didn''t know that we were dancing in the squares every night.

There was a commenter who corrected that. They originally said that the Villages has 12 golf courses and I wrote in to correct that. They raised it but still didn't get it right.

[big guy]

I saw this and didn’t like it and then they were closed
2 days later. I think that was a select group and a small group compared to vast numbers staying home. Squares, churches, recreation centers, movies closed except brief openings with good hygiene. Most people in Walmart, Winn Dixie, Lowe’s have been wearing masks for months. I see people social distancing in driveways frequently but not large groups. I do admit I did see one club packed in like sardines and I let them know that was not in their best interest. They were better at the next event.

I see people gathered at the pond across from Lake Miona Rec Center every evening. They are close and no one is wearing a mask.

[big guy]

Jut saw this correction posted

Correction: July 20, 2020
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the number of golf courses in the Villages, Fla. It has 55, not 12. (There are 12 championship golf courses.) The error was repeated in a picture caption.

And thaat is not correct either. It's 59 executive courses and 12 championship.

[Desiree1982]

We should all do a better job at protecting ourselves but surprised how many factual errors were in the article.

NYT is a shell of its former self.

I've seen people around, very close to each other, not wearing masks, including someone that I know that just came from Ft Lauderdale from visiting his children. This is not safe behavior. We are a very vulnerable group! Wearing a mask protects us and others.

[Stu from NYC]

I've seen people around, very close to each other, not wearing masks, including someone that I know that just came from Ft Lauderdale from visiting his children. This is not safe behavior. We are a very vulnerable group! Wearing a mask protects us and others.

Your right, too many people think they cannot get it.

[Desiree1982]

I've seen many people here at the Villages without masks.if we start not wearing masks in 3 months we'll be like South Florida. The only difference is that we are a more vulnerable group of people! We have to take extra care of ourselves and follow all the guidelines!

[coffeebean]

so i guess those lives don't matter

I think the point is that the prisoners are not out in our community spreading the virus.

[coffeebean]

It may have something to do with the kids coming to visit but I noticed, even before the time he kids visit that more then half of the Villagers were not wearing masks or standing 6 feet away. One of them told me that The Villages would not be struck because "we are not those kind of people." What kind of people get it and what kind of people are the Villagers? I had a doctors appointment today and not even half of the people were wearing masks. What is up with that?

Which doctor's office is not following CDC guidelines? Please let me know so I will not ever use that office.