The 8th Annual PK Extravaganza
and social distance test lab.
A festering petri dish of the unclean.... unmasked and unwanted!
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DEPARTURE Key West, Wed 5.13
Security at Love Field
Atlanta gate
Boss, de plane!
Atlanta Airport
Key West gate #2 Just before boarding our 14ppl onto a plane for 260.
My REPORT of the airports, TSA and other 'new' strange things of air travel goes like this... It's about the same as usual but with less people. (less pushing and shoving.) Everyone is required to wear a mask. Pants are optional. (not really. when i was boarding in Key West, as i removed my shoes and belt, my shorts hit the floor. They were so baggy that suddenly here i am holding shoes in one hand, belt in the other and my pants are on the ground. The TSA agent looks at me and says, "YOU can wear the belt.") When boarding they of course loaded first class first, but all the others were called up in reverse order from the back to front. (so you would walk past fewer ppl) Plus they spread the passengers out in a hodgepodge format. Window, up two rows aisle, up to rows window... easy.
One new thing. Just prior to departure in ATL the gate agent informed all passengers that "there is a one page form required to be filled out prior to landing in Dallas. The plane will be met by the authorities who will collect all flyers who de-plane in Texas." (if you continue THROUGH the airport and fly to another state you are not who they want) IF you are flying into Texas from New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami,... you are required to provide: local home address, contact local phone number, duration of stay, location of Texas habitation. You are REQUIRED to QUARANTINE in place for 14 days. Upon leaving the airport, you are to go directly to your Texas quarantine location, stay there, and not have others come and join you. OK.
Upon landing, we were met at the jet bridge by 6 Texas State Troopers, in uniform, with big cowboy hats on, collecting our paperwork. Separating the passengers by destination, they handed us a 6 page memorandum of Texas Governor Abbot's proclamation of "Mandatory Terms of Self-Quarantine." It has 18 sections of "WHEREAS" and under Section blah blah blah of Texas laws that give the governor power to "NOW THEREFORE" by the virtue of the power and authority vested in me... order Executive Order GA-12, March 29: Travelers from the state of California, state of Connecticut, state of New York, state of New Jersey, State of Washington, City of Atlanta*, City of Chicgao, City of Detroit, or City of Miami - shall be subject to mandatory self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time of entry. (*my flight was through Atlanta - Damn!) "DPS Special Agents will conduct unannounced visits to quarantine locations to verify compliance. Failure to comply may result in a $1,000 fine, confinement in jail for up to 6 months in jail, or both."
The Cops may have come out and spied on me, but i never saw them.
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The return went "as planned." (really, as 're-planned.' after the Cxld flights were replaced with worse flights that no longer connected requiring an overnight in the ATL airport. Concourse B.) I caught my 3p Dallas flight and arrived 5:30pm ATL to sit and read a new book. I dropped into the first 'very well lit lobby spot' that I could find. Then about ten pm I found another spot, in another terminal near my gate, with electric plugs to start a Netflix marathon. From about 11pm till 6am I used anything and everything to try and stay awake. Some hours went by without me seeing other ppl at all. Then work crews would come through. (big surprise: they didn't vacuum anything. they didn't clean ANY chair or table in my concourse. didn't spray or wipe anything.)
Atlanta concourse, 10pm of my all-niter
the next morning, early, and feeling fresh as a daisy.
At 6:48am I found an early opening restaurant and got coffee and breakfast. (lifesaving) Caught my 9:40am flight to Key West with very good seating distances. (20ppl on a plane for 260) Arrived in Key West to discover my luggage is in Atlanta. Drove to Marathon, caught a ride out to the boat with a stranger. Opened some hatches and immediately fell asleep for a two hour nap.
I'm quarantined. :) xoxox skip
ps. Arriving in Key West they have set up two small tents beside the baggage claim door. (you deplane out on the tarmac and walk to the airport) while still outside on the hot tarmac in the sun, all passengers fill out a 3 page medical form. (coming from / going to / staying where / for how long) You put down your contact into and confirm your are not sick. LAST STEP: they take your temperature then hand you a 3pg "Monroe County Emergency Mngmt Directive." it says - Covid19 bad, masks and quarantine good. tells me via 24 separate paragraphs of 'WHEREAS' blah blah blah of legalize language. Then 6 'NOW THEREFORE' points. It all explains that the state of Florida has the right to take my temp and check my health.... (it does not give me any (zero) medical / Covid19 / Qurantine instructions
I'm on the boat, quarantined. "Each person screened shall isolate and quarantine for 14 days. The Florida penalty for not doing this is: $500 fine and 60 days in jail. (plus, additional charges may be prosecuted if other statues are violated.)"
I'm on the boat, quarantined. "Each person screened shall isolate and quarantine for 14 days. The Florida penalty for not doing this is: $500 fine and 60 days in jail. (plus, additional charges may be prosecuted if other statues are violated.)"
the Keys on takeoff
