Grumpy Old Man here

[Bill in Roswell]

I’m a 65 y.o. hiker on the high risk list due to asthma and emergency open heart surgery (failed valve). I don’t let issues like Eric had bother me. If one were to chat trailside for 15 min. mask less that would be due cause for some concern, but outdoors with proper distancing not an issue. Time of exposure is a key component in the spread of Covid. I consider Eric fortunate that the hiker  didn’t stop, turnaround and give him the finger, but kept on his merry way. If Eric was wearing a mask and the other hiker wasn’t, the chances of catching even a common cold are far below .001 %. And I say that not from hearsay, but having several very close friends that work at the CDC here in Atlanta. I basically live by their advice. I eat out several times a week – outdoor seating. I go shopping at Kroger and Target when it’s least busy – and they do enforce mask rules. I walk the local trails almost daily without issue. I refuse to live a life based on paranoia but on common sense. Hey, when I was growing up we had atomic bomb drills in elementary school; the Cuban missle crisis; the killing of JFK and MLK. Covid is not something trivial by any means, but keep things in perspective, please!

[Claiborne B]

Covid is a tough situation for us all. We must take care of ourselves first and foremost, and respect others to take care of themselves.

If a situation arrives like the one described in the post. Take care of yourself, make sure you have adequate distance between you and the other runner. Dont assume others actions unless they show otherwise. If you must, then yield the trail give plenty of distance. A rhythm break in your run is far less threatening than the possibility (however remote) of contracting this virus.

We all react differently to the information presented to us about this pandemic. But remember the young feel invincible until proven otherwise. And by the numbers we are given, it appears the dusk and twilight age groups are at the most risk. You have a right to be grumpy, this covid situation sucks, perhaps this trail situation could have been handled differently.

To each their own.

[Author]

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