Significant commerce despite quarantine, stay-at-home order (houses, landscaping, neighborhood)

[westender]

I have been working from the second floor of my family house in KC during this quarantine/ virus pandemic period, and I'll be staying here until the threat subsides (at least several more weeks). Anyhow, I see the road all day long. A quiet, isolated road in the old streetcar-suburb part of northeast JoCo.

Today, two weeks after my company ordered everyone home (WFH), and many days after metro leadership ordered all non-essential business to cease, I am still seeing significant commercial traffic on this quiet, residential street.

1. At least 20 landscaping trucks have been working this week -- non-essential.
2. Dozens of tradesmen, largely construction related to a three or four houses being rebuilt/ renovated on this street of 40 or so houses -- non-essential
3. A surprising number of workers with trucks marked Joe's painting or Bob's carpentry -- non-essential
4. Comparatively, the permissible trade -- USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, plus the occasional plumbing truck or tow truck (potentially essential services) have been few and far between. Maybe ten trucks per day.

I wonder how serious tradesmen are taking this quarantine order. Seems like we have an enforcement problem in metro KC. Had a couple of random workers ring our doorbell looking for an address. Told them through the closed door to clear off the property -- their very presence endangers the elderly in this graying neighborhood.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by westender

I have been working from the second floor of my family house in KC during this quarantine/ virus pandemic period, and I'll be staying here until the threat subsides (at least several more weeks). Anyhow, I see the road all day long. A quiet, isolated road in the old streetcar-suburb part of northeast JoCo.

Today, two weeks after my company ordered everyone home (WFH), and many days after metro leadership ordered all non-essential business to cease, I am still seeing significant commercial traffic on this quiet, residential street.

1. At least 20 landscaping trucks have been working this week -- non-essential.
2. Dozens of tradesmen, largely construction related to a three or four houses being rebuilt/ renovated on this street of 40 or so houses -- non-essential
3. A surprising number of workers with trucks marked Joe's painting or Bob's carpentry -- non-essential
4. Comparatively, the permissible trade -- USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, plus the occasional plumbing truck or tow truck (potentially essential services) have been few and far between. Maybe ten trucks per day.

I wonder how serious tradesmen are taking this quarantine order. Seems like we have an enforcement problem in metro KC. Had a couple of random workers ring our doorbell looking for an address. Told them through the closed door to clear off the property -- their very presence endangers the elderly in this graying neighborhood.

Yes, construction is one of the "essential" businesses. Which kind of surprises me. Construction can't be put on hold for 30 days?

[MoNative34]

Did you at least tell them where the address was located before the "clear off the property" command?

Enough people are out of work right now. If the landscapers, builders, etc working outdoors are keeping a distance I don't see the problem.

[westender]

^They shouldn't be out and about at all -- if I provided directions, that would just encourage these workers to violate social distancing protocols with another family.

The metro stay-at-home order means _stay at home_. The federal government just passed a massive rescue/ stimulus to provide funding for people who cannot work during this period, and I find it outrageous that tradesmen and other non-essential peeps are prowling the neighborhood during a mandatory quarantine period. There are even a few roaming around today, a Saturday.

[Okey Dokie]

Whether you agree or not, construction has not been shut down by the quarantine order, nor have landscaping businesses. I think it’s a bit of a stretch that they are “essential” but I can’t fault a person trying to keep a roof over their family’s head and food on the table.

[MoNative34]

Originally Posted by Okey Dokie

Whether you agree or not, construction has not been shut down by the quarantine order, nor have landscaping businesses. I think it’s a bit of a stretch that they are “essential” but I can’t fault a person trying to keep a roof over their family’s head and food on the table.

This.

And for someone that's fortunate enough to have a job that can be done within the confines of their home to tell other people that can't to just wait for their govt handout. And on top of that, deliberately refuse to help them find an address of their customer.

[westender]

Originally Posted by MoNative34

And for someone that's fortunate enough to have a job that can be done within the confines of their home to tell other people that can't to just wait for their govt handout. And on top of that, deliberately refuse to help them find an address of their customer.

Several incorrect assumptions.

1. While I am working remotely, this is not my home -- I am away from my family in order to look after an elderly relative in KC. It is a family home but without the comforts of my primary home and family.

2. The assertion "deliberately refuse" is rich. These strangers, on the porch, handling the door and doorbell, were unknown to me and to my elderly relative. I did not recognize the name they said they were looking for, and furthermore, someone's porch and front door are not your white pages nor directory assistance.

While I would also prefer that people work for income rather than get a government handout, this rescue money was intended to soften the blow because of the _necessity_ that people stay at home rather than interact in public during this highly contagious pandemic. This virus is proved significantly fatal for compromised people, including 91-year-old men. Stay at home means STAY AT HOME.

Here is a longer synopsis:

A work crew of six young men, one or all potentially asymptomatic Coronavirus super-spreaders, were apparently assigned to mulch the flower beds of a house somewhere nearby. Instead, they showed up here, all of them, asking for directions. A week after Chair Commissioner Eilert and Mayor Lucas quarantined the core KC metro, and three weeks after the President declared a national emergency.

Why is the mulching of flower beds more important than even the risk (yes, slight and improbable, but still a risk) to enter the property of a random homeowner and endanger his survival during a highly contagious pandemic? It may seem dramatic, but I feel that this is a gross abuse of "essential activity."

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by westender

Why is the mulching of flower beds more important than even the risk (yes, slight and improbable, but still a risk) to enter the property of a random homeowner and endanger his survival during a highly contagious pandemic? It may seem dramatic, but I feel that this is a gross abuse of "essential activity."

I would agree that landscaping hardly qualifies as an "essential activity" at this time, but if the stay-at-home order and shutdown of non-essential businesses did not extend to landscaping and lawn care services, then those workers were doing what they were supposed to do.

Including asking for the address of their customer.

You were, of course, within your right to refuse to provide it for whatever reason. But your beef shouldn't be with the workers - it should be with the governor of Kansas, or the Johnson County executive, or whoever decided what businesses and services should be "essential".

[VietInKC]

If they deem it essential, then so be it. They aren't acting out of bounds in that case. Personally, I'd give them the address just because I'm a nice person. Not like I have to be in physical contact with them to do that. If they can work they will work and why not? Some people are lucky to still have jobs during this. Like the post above said, your beef should be with the higher ups, not the workers.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by westender

Several incorrect assumptions.

1. While I am working remotely, this is not my home -- I am away from my family in order to look after an elderly relative in KC. It is a family home but without the comforts of my primary home and family.

2. The assertion "deliberately refuse" is rich. These strangers, on the porch, handling the door and doorbell, were unknown to me and to my elderly relative. I did not recognize the name they said they were looking for, and furthermore, someone's porch and front door are not your white pages nor directory assistance.

While I would also prefer that people work for income rather than get a government handout, this rescue money was intended to soften the blow because of the _necessity_ that people stay at home rather than interact in public during this highly contagious pandemic. This virus is proved significantly fatal for compromised people, including 91-year-old men. Stay at home means STAY AT HOME.

Here is a longer synopsis:

A work crew of six young men, one or all potentially asymptomatic Coronavirus super-spreaders, were apparently assigned to mulch the flower beds of a house somewhere nearby. Instead, they showed up here, all of them, asking for directions. A week after Chair Commissioner Eilert and Mayor Lucas quarantined the core KC metro, and three weeks after the President declared a national emergency.

Why is the mulching of flower beds more important than even the risk (yes, slight and improbable, but still a risk) to enter the property of a random homeowner and endanger his survival during a highly contagious pandemic? It may seem dramatic, but I feel that this is a gross abuse of "essential activity."

I agree with you that construction and landscaping shouldn't really be considered ESSENTIAL. I mean if a house needs a roof or something to keep rain out, then yes. But like someone else said, the stay at home order mandated that these businesses were essential, so that's the way it is. I don't see why restaurants are open for drive thru and carryout, either. If we're going to shut down, let's shut down. But again, they were told they were essential. We don't get to decide that.

And that stimulus check may help, but it is certainly not going to anywhere near replace the income of anyone not able to work.

Someone came to my house the other day who was doing yard work for a neighbor of mine. He said he needed to send her a bill and asked what the zip code is for our address. Her car was in the driveway so I don't know why he didn't ask her, unless she wasn't answering her door. But I told him the zip code.