CoVid-19 - We sit and wait and watch and sit some more

Ok, 4 days since my last report. Nothing really new to report specifically related to the site (White Horse) of the Spring Scrimmage. However the chief influencer right now is not the site, or the weather but the continuing saga of CoVid-19. As of today we are just about 3 and 1/2 weeks away from the start date of the Spring Scrimmage if we stick with a start date of April 22nd.

At this time cases in the county where White Horse is located are very low. That is a plus. The minus is that cases in the metropolitan New Orleans area have yet to peak. It appears that that peak could come soon, but we just do not know. I think to a certain degree we are just uncovering more cases with testing as opposed to there being a lot more new cases, but we just do not know. If I were to guess I would say that we will not peak until at least mid-April and perhaps not until later. I think we will see more restrictions before we hear of any restrictions being eased. Another thing that concerns me is that if we stay with the current schedule how many will feel ok with coming and/or how many would not be able to come simply because other family members plead with you not to leave. I have asked for feedback yet few have given me any. Please share your thoughts!

A lot of people are off from work so scheduling vacation time may not be an issue at all for many who would like to attend. There have been cancellations of events elsewhere (Mid-South Star Gaze and Chiefland) so that could throw a few more people our way in April. So let me know how you feel.

Now if we were to cancel April and push back to 4 weeks later in May, the peak may be past and the stay at home order may be lifted, but maybe not. The Texas Star Party scheduled for the new moon week in May has not made a decision yet about cancelling. My gut feel is that they will cancel, but I do not know this for certain. If they do I expect that we may pull in a few more attendees to a May Spring Scrimmage. It is possible that things could be better and people are back at work, unwilling to use vacation time if they still have any. I am not a fortune teller so I cannot predict any of that.

So we wait. Hopefully news from all fronts will give us more direction in another week. I will say that the last date that I would have to either say we are go for April or we will push back into May will be Monday April 13th.

Feedback?

Barry Simon

Len, April 14th is reasonable. What is the current situation in Texas about us Louisiana folk coming in? I believe we cannot fly in without subjecting ourselves to a 14 day quarantine. Not 100% sure about driving. "Yes, officer, I promise to quarantine with 600 other people, many from Texas, at the Texas Star Party!"

Seriously that could be a consideration. If we were going to our condo now at Pensacola Beach we would have to quarantine as long as we were there. We would have to bring our own food and eat everything in our unit. No going to restaurants, stores, etc. On the other hand things could get potentially bad enough everywhere so that restricting travel from one state to another may be a mute point.

Barry Simon

I've not seen anything directly from TSP nor elsewhere Texas-wise that specifically prohibits car travel from Louisiana other than those who transit the New Orleans airport.

The wording of Gov. Abbot's Executive Order reads:

"Every person who enters the State of Texas as the final destination through an airport, from a point of origin or point of last departure in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or the City of New Orleans, or in any other state or city as may be proclaimed hereafter, shall be subject to mandatory self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time of entry into Texas or the duration of the person’s presence in Texas, whichever is shorter."

gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-issues-executive-order-mandating-14-day-quarantine-for-travelers-arriving-from-new-york-tri-state-area-new-orleans
gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/EO-GA-11_airport_travel_reporting_COVID-19_IMAGE_03-26-2020.pdf


The TSP website (updated the day after Abbot's order, but not in response to it as far as I can tell) says:

"On 3/15/2020 the CDC recommended that for the next 8 weeks, organizers cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of over 50 people… to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus. Since TSP starts May 17, it may be that no action is required on our part.

There is a lot of information that we don’t know yet, including how much COVID-19 develops in Texas and its timing.

The Operations team is watching this closely and have had hours of discussions about this.
Our current evaluation is to not to cancel TSP at this point, given lack of concrete information on conditions/challenges for May 17 and later.
We plan to re-evaluate on April 1st and on April 13."

texasstarparty.org/coronavirus-and-tsp/


So outside of New Orleans (in Louisiana at least), is there a ban on automotive travel to Texas? I can't find it specifically. In fact, the wording implies only air travelers are to self-quarantine. Of course all that could change with the stroke of a pen. Speaking from past experience, 6' social distancing should not be a problem at Prude Ranch, with a few notable exceptions: Meal line, vendor area, meetings / presentations / prize drawings (horrors!).

But TSP is not DSSS. I mentioned it only in the thought that a decision there could possibly (?) impact the numbers at WHCRC for the Spring Scrimmage. Limiting the WH bunkhouses to four per end may effectively limit attendance (not saying that's inappropriate, either).

Interesting developments. Decisions to cancel events now fall more on the shoulders of the venues themselves (as in the case of the operators of the Prude Ranch in Texas). Couple that with CDC recommendations to postpone or cancel events that have an attendance of 50 or more and the go/no go decision may well be out of the hands of the TSP organizers. Other factors play into it too such as travel restrictions into Texas (and other states) from other states and from overseas. That causes registration numbers to fall but that could be a good thin.

I was encouraged to see in our local newspaper this morning (New Orleans) that the rapid acceleration in cases has slowed and we are hopefully seeing the first signs of the peak flattening out. Keeping fingers crossed. While not ready to give up on an April Spring Scrimmage yet, in my mind a May Spring Scrimmage is looking like more of a possibility. We still have time to analyze available and future information to decide that.

Stay tuned.

Barry

As of today our scheduled dates for the Deep South Spring Scrimmage is still on the books to begin on Wednesday April 22nd. While I would prefer an April start as opposed to 1 month later (Wednesday May 20th) due primarily to temperature concerns, there are bigger issues at play here. Everyone knows what I am implying - CoVid-19. As of today, April 1st (and this is no April Fool's Joke) we still see rising numbers of cases, we are still under somewhat of a "house arrest" and the curve is not yet flattened. Accordingly it might be somewhat over optimistic to think that the first day of the Spring Scrimmage will be just 3 weeks from today.

I believe later today the Texas Star Party people should be making a Go/No Go decision about the TSP which is now scheduled to begin on Sunday May 17th. There are several factors at play here that has me thinking that they will cancel. Those factors include a mandate that gatherings be no more than about 50 people that maintain reasonable distances between each other (TSP typically has a registration of over 600). Additional proposed restrictions on attendance - age over 65 if in less than good overall fitness, any illness or symptom that might be interpreted as Covid-19 be it a cold, allergies or altitude triggered coughing. The state of Texas is also restricting access from some areas (like Louisiana), and any of their attendees from overseas will not be able to make it. (They do have at least a few every year.) Food service and programs could be problematic given the numbers they usually have. All of these factors makes me think that TSP will be cancelled, their size being their undoing. If not today, by April 13th at the latest.

The Spring Scrimmage is far smaller. Even during our better years the Scrimmage only attracts about 25 to 30 attendees. I would anticipate that if concerns over Covid-19 ease somewhat by late April/early May we could see an attendance of 30 to 40 people perhaps a few more. We could get some that would not otherwise come to the Spring Scrimmage because they cannot go elsewhere. They as well as some of our regulars will likely be ready to get out to relax. Comforted by the fact that the Spring Scrimmage is held in a sparsely populated area with few cases of Covid-19. At the White Horse Retreat Camp we can spread out as there are multiple places where we can set up.

Assuming we are able to do the Spring Scrimmage, likely in May, we still need to do "social distancing" so for anyone needing a bunk in one of the bunk houses we will be restricting occupancy in each. In the main bunkhouse behind the main building, the west wing of that bunk house has 7 triple tier bunk beds, so does the east wing. So that is a total of 42 bunks. We have always had just 1 person per bunk assembly so the most we have had in each wing in the past was 7 or a max of 14 for the whole bunk house, west wing and east wing. This year we will further restrict that to just 4 people per wing to maintain a safe space between attendees that want bunk space. Considering doing similar things in our other bunk areas we probably have a bunk capacity of about 24 to 30. (Some of our smaller areas are reserved for couples and if they want to maintain normal distances between each other, that is their call.) For those in their own rv's, campers or tents, you set your own occupancy rules. You are self-isolating, particularly if traveling or sleeping solo.

Meals - best bet is to bring your own stuff, at least for one meal per day. I will continue monitoring the status of the Country Diner in respect to whether they are open or closed and what their hours are. Carol has also done a snack bar at night with burgers, hot dogs, etc. Hopefully this will still be possible if she is comfortable with that. I would recommend spreading out at the tables when you eat. It may also be a good idea to always sit at the same place for the duration of the Spring Scrimmage.

While we have no registration fee for the Spring Scrimmage I do want to institute a "good faith" payment of $10 per person. What this will do is it will tell me and I can in turn tell Carol how many are planning on attending. This payment will be an advance payment for your bunk space or your rv, camper or tent payment. It will be applied toward that. In addition, if you are requesting bunk space, it will allow me to put your name on a list so that I know how many we have and how many bunks we have left. The payment insures that you are serious about coming, assuming good health.

On the field, we will be separating the canopies a bit more than we have in past years. So on the Arena Field there will be less space available for canopies. Not a problem really as we have plenty of space outside of the Arena Field to set up. To be honest right now I have absolutely no idea how many people are planning on attending. My best guess would be 6 to 10 on Wednesday and going up each day to about 20 to 30 on both Friday and Saturday. This assumes good weather.

Lot's of variables still, will post more information as events dictate and we figure more out.

Barry Simon