The first thing I noticed after arriving in Los Angeles is this: California is taking the Coronavirus pandemic more seriously than Florida.
You can see it everywhere you look.
Masks are mandatory here. No exceptions. Even in a heatwave that is stifling Los Angeles, everyone wears a mask. Signs are everywhere reminding people.
If you don’t have one on, they fine you. They mean business.
Even at the hotel gym and on cardio equipment, you wear a mask. No exceptions… Let me tell you something, that’s hard to do. I recently went back to the gym in Tampa, and while I complained about a lack of social distancing, I was relieved to see I didn’t have to wear a mask on the stair machine or treadmill.
That’s not the case in California. It takes some getting used to wearing the mask to exercise.
In fact, it even takes some time figuring out which mask works best. I’ve spent a lot of money on masks recently. Here’s what I have learned… money doesn’t buy comfort.
The higher priced masks are fashionable, but they can be hot and make it hard to breathe. So after struggling with one for a few minutes on the treadmill, I ended up using the free throwaway mask from the hotel gym. It made all the difference.
Another thing about Los Angeles and Covid, they take your temperature everywhere. At restaurants. At our hotel. A lot.
I’m not sure yet what happens if I get a fever at this hotel. Do they throw me out? Quarantine me to my room? Send me some place else? Maybe there’s a Covid-friendly hotel? I probably should ask… not sure I want to know.
Both Florida and California are hoping for the best over the long holiday weekend. Both trying to keep the number of new infections down. I hope both states succeed.
From what I’ve seen so far, California seems to be on a better path than Florida. I know this much. I feel safer here than I do at home.