"Lakewood Touts Outdoor Dining Success!"

[Mark Kindt]

Make Your Own Judgement About Whether Dining On Public Property In Lakewood Is A Success

I am not sure I have ever read a more delusional or unbalanced article in my life.

https://www.cleveland.com/community/202 ... ating.html

Like many of you who read the Deck, I wear a mask to do the most common of tasks in Lakewood. I do so when I buy the Plain Dealer or the New York Times at Discount Drug Mart.

When I read those newspapers I read startling headlines about the growth of the Covid-19 Pandemic nationally and in Ohio. I also read about many of the tragic consequences from those who contract the virus.

Here are some recent headlines:

"Ohio reports 892 new coronavirus cases" The Plain Dealer, June 26, 2020.

"Is Ohio experiencing a virus surge?" The Plain Dealer, June 28, 2020.

"Houston Surge Fills Hospitals With Young" The New York Times, June 29, 2020.

Each of you understands that this pandemic is a life-or-death risk for ourselves, our friends, and our families.

Yet, unbelievable as it may seem, our new public policy is to grant permits to dining establishments to use adjoining public property (sidewalks) to serve their patrons. Each patron who does so does so at their own contagion risk. Here we witness public property being used for private business purposes that may place some individuals at the risk of Covid-19.

It is a terrible idea. Luckily, the legislation expires at the end of October. If as an attorney I was asked by a business to seek such a permit, I would advise against it in the most vigorous terms. In fact, I would decline to even consider it.

[Mark Kindt]

The Photograph In The Article Coveys The Illusion Of Safety

Cleveland Vegan is one of my favorite dining spots and I look forward to dining there in the future, but not now.

The photograph was a bit of public relations "feel-good" with a young group all wearing masks per guidelines on a nice summer day. --This is the illusion of safety where there is, in fact, none.

As I drive around streets in Lakewood, no one, of course, is wearing a mask at any outdoor dining venue. For the obvious reason that no one can eat or drink through a face mask. In fact, patrons are siting right across from one another, face-to-face, with little or no distance.

I have seen at least two other articles where council members imply that Lakewood is or will be safe for dining.

I trust my corrected-with-glasses eye sight when I report that the new locale at the intersection of Detroit and Edwards was packed with folks standing together having a great time. Sure employees wore masks. About a hundred people there were not.

[Mark Kindt]

Again "Safety" Is Touted

While this article again implies that this planning for outdoor service on public property has a safety focus, there is no information that any medical professionals were consulted about the safety of expanded outdoor dining during a 100-year national pandemic that has killed 120,000 U.S citizens.

The article lacks balance because no alternative viewpoints were solicited that might have described serious risks or impediments to successful or safe expansion of outdoor dining onto public property.

I am also afraid that the City has created what I will describe as an "attractive nuisance" by conveying to the public that Lakewood was safe or would be safe for dining on its own public property when it lacked any reasonable basis to do so.

The expanded dining legislation is also a disservice to the very businesses that it was intended to assist by increasing their potential legal liability exposure for affected or injured patrons.

Clearly, there is an obvious well-known risk that "asymptomatic" patrons might transmit the Covid-19 virus to other patrons, some of whom might be within or have contact with a vulnerable population.

Unfortunately, the City of Lakewood has also imposed a moral risk upon these businesses that transcends their potential financial losses.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Nothing like politicians telling everyone how well they are doing...

... before the paint even dries.


I have to say, it is getting a little sick the amount of time politicians spend patting themselves on the back.

But i suppose the politicians that drove the city broke have little else to brag about.

Dining out down 70%, but hell we got spaces.

City is still broke.

Please dear god someone take the keys and the wheel from Councilman Bullock.

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[pj bennett]

The Governor of California has ordered all bars to close due to the coronavirus.

If Gov. DeWine doesn't follow suit, then Mayor George should order the closing of all bars for the time being.

A holiday weekend is coming up, and since holidays are equated with excessive drinking, which in turn loosens behavior...the covid cooties will be spreading rapidly.

On top of this, I imagine that backyard parties will be plentiful. Alcohol and fireworks. A bad mix to begin with, but this year......well, the police will be stretched to their limits, and beyond, to respond to the calls that they'll be getting.

[Mark Kindt]

When I Write That This Is A Delusional And Unbalanced Article, I Mean It.

Let me quote from it:

"Ward 2 Councilman Jason Shachner, who introduced the temporary permit concept to City Council, complimented the Planning Commission’s effort in sorting through the applications and approving permits."

“It’s been really nice to see a lot of the businesses take advantage of it and come up with some really neat designs that do work,” Shachner said. “I’ve been to Salt+ and saw their setup, which is nice. Cleveland Vegan has their seating outdoors in the front, and so does El Carnicero.”

We all understand the context -- it is completely surreal. The author of the article was wearing a mask. Everyone quoted in the article was wearing a mask. All the readers of the article were wearing masks. If you are reading this commentary, you are wearing a mask. You haven't seen hand-sanitizer in months. Some days, you can't find toilet paper. You are seriously worried about your families and your relatives.

There is a sort of pretense here that despite the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic in our country everything is just fine. --Go have a cocktail on the sidewalk. It's all right!

Frankly, it is offensive. The mortality figure in Ohio yesterday reached 2,818. I'd have a cocktail, but I can't drink it through my mask or my tears.

[Dan Alaimo]

This may not relate statewide as DeWine with the help of Alter did a good job of heading off the early spread of Covid-19. It's another story in Cuyahoga and Lakewood. The following written report is based on Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar's interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday. "The wiindow is closing" to slow coronavirus, said this member of Trump's cabinet. It's almost too late. It may not be as bad here, but it easily could be. Got that Council?

HE PRESS
HHS Sec. Azar says 'window is closing' to curb coronavirus spike
The Health and Human Services Secretary said "individuals need to act responsibly" to slow the spread, including social distancing and "face coverings."

June 28, 2020, 10:13 AM EDT / Updated June 28, 2020, 12:51 PM EDT
By Ben Kamisar
WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warned Sunday that “the window is closing” to take action to curb the spread of the coronavirus as cases across the southern United States continue “surging.”

In an interview with “Meet the Press,” Azar said that the country has “more tools than we had months ago” to fight the virus and the disease it causes, including new treatments and more personal protective equipment. But he stressed that America is facing a “very serious situation.”

“We’ve got our fatality rates and our hospitalization rates the lowest they’ve been in two months, but this is a very serious situation. What are we doing about it? We are surging in, working with our local authorities and states,” Azar said.

“We’ve got the tools to do this, we just did this in the last couple of weeks in North Carolina. But the window is closing. We have to act and people and individuals need to act responsibly. We need to social distance, we need to wear face coverings if we are in settings where we cannot social distance, particularly in these hot zones.”

[Mark Kindt]

This may not relate statewide as DeWine with the help of Alter did a good job of heading off the early spread of Covid-19. It's another story in Cuyahoga and Lakewood. The following written report is based on Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar's interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday. "The wiindow is closing" to slow coronavirus, said this member of Trump's cabinet. It's almost too late. It may not be as bad here, but it easily could be. Got that Council?

HE PRESS
HHS Sec. Azar says 'window is closing' to curb coronavirus spike
The Health and Human Services Secretary said "individuals need to act responsibly" to slow the spread, including social distancing and "face coverings."

June 28, 2020, 10:13 AM EDT / Updated June 28, 2020, 12:51 PM EDT
By Ben Kamisar
WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warned Sunday that “the window is closing” to take action to curb the spread of the coronavirus as cases across the southern United States continue “surging.”

In an interview with “Meet the Press,” Azar said that the country has “more tools than we had months ago” to fight the virus and the disease it causes, including new treatments and more personal protective equipment. But he stressed that America is facing a “very serious situation.”

“We’ve got our fatality rates and our hospitalization rates the lowest they’ve been in two months, but this is a very serious situation. What are we doing about it? We are surging in, working with our local authorities and states,” Azar said.

“We’ve got the tools to do this, we just did this in the last couple of weeks in North Carolina. But the window is closing. We have to act and people and individuals need to act responsibly. We need to social distance, we need to wear face coverings if we are in settings where we cannot social distance, particularly in these hot zones.”

How would we ever know? Lakewood no longer has its own Department of Health. The track record for stiffing the Plain Dealer reporters at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health vastly lowers my confidence in the integrity of CCBH data as it might relate to Lakewood. We've been down that road before here. Due to the lack of testing availability over the past 100 days, the CCBH figures for Lakewood are not reliable.

Mr. Alaimo, your post is right on!

[Mark Kindt]

The Washington Post, Today, June 30, 2020

Headline: A Hypervigilant Mom Followed Every Heath Guideline. She Still Caught The Virus.

“You can do every single thing right and still wind up on the wrong side of the virus,” said the freelance photographer and Washington resident. Her experience, recounted in a recent interview, captures how even a mild case of covid-19 can still be a harrowing ordeal."

[Mark Kindt]

The Planning Department and The Planning Commission

Here is another quote from "Lakewood Touts Outdoor Dining Success!"

"City Planner Michelle Nochta said the Planning Commission at its June 18 meeting approved conditional use permits for temporary expansion of outdoor dining for LBM, O’Tooles, SideQuest, The Avenue Tap House/Oscar’s and Waterbury Bistro."

Why are the City Planning Department and the Planning Commission making any decisions about the mitigation or management of pandemic conditions in Lakewood?

Why is Covid-19 the justification for planning policies that may actually facilitate its contagion by the potential misuse of public property by private parties.

Whatever justification there might have conceivably been for this action (and, trust me, it was shallow at best) has now drastically changed; continuing to grant these conditional permits is a public health disaster waiting to happen.

So just how many residents, visitors, and employees should suffer the effects of Covid-19 as a matter of public planning policy on public property?

Why place ordinary people in harm's way to a largely unknown virus as a matter of dining convenience; on public property at that, and as a matter of fundamental public policy.

[Mark Kindt]

Little Or No Medical Or Science Or Engineering Here

As I have reviewed the developing public policy for the expansion of outdoor dining onto public sidewalks, street, or "parklets" during a pandemic, I have NOT been able to determine or identify any medical or scientific experts involved or consulted by local officials.

If traffic safety engineering studies have been completed, I am still unaware of them. I have no reason to believe that they have been done. In fact, I have every reason to believe that they have NOT been done.

Until local officials can substantiate that there is competent medical, scientific, or engineering support as well as valid underlying data for the safe expansion of outdoor dining to public property, this effort should be promptly suspended.

Further, local officials need to substantiate that both the City and the County have sufficient testing and contact tracing capability to manage Covid-19 outbreaks stemming from drinking/dining expanded onto public property.

Time for local officials to do the right thing and suspend the expansion of outdoor drinking/dining onto public property.

[Mark Kindt]

Bottom-Line

The outdoor dining program on city sidewalks is neither safe nor successful and it should not be represented as such to the public by the City, its employees or local non-profits.

Before residents, visitors, or employees are exposed to Covid-19 on city sidewalks this program needs to be suspended and suspended now!

Can I say this any louder or clearer?

The personal risk for all of us is just simply too high.

The outdoor dining program is completely inconsistent with the fact that Cuyahoga County is at Level-3 on the new Covid-19 Alert System.

We all need to push for the suspension of this program.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Add Two Bucks to the list of Lakewood Bars and Restaurants closing because of a member of their staff testing positive for COVID-19.

Average hospital stay around $110,000. What I know from two friends that have gone through this. One has been in and out of the hospital since contracting it in February. 3 stays a little over two weeks a stay. Luckily retired, if not who knows where or if they would be alive. Another one had mild symptoms and became part of the anti-body program. Then two weeks ago the tests showed no sign of virus or antibodies. That has been the story last two weeks.



Just because the kids on Council on sharp enough to understand what is going on. You know little things like those that act quickly, early and decisively save lives. Those that play party drinking games, end up hurting people, businesses and potentially killing people and or families.



On another front, City of Lakewood is once again desperately waiting for Armond Buddish to decide what is safe for this community. While cities that really think for themselves take steps to make their community safer.

It is odd that so many touted "self rule" for Lakewood during the hospital nightmare, and now we hear, we have no self rule.

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[Mark Kindt]

Cleveland has its own Health Department and its Mayor had no problem issuing a mandatory mask order this past Friday.

Bars and Covid-19 simply do not mix with one another. I trust my own eyes on this. I trust you to trust your own eyewitness experience too.

Yes, outdoors, but bar-stool next to bar-stool all around the outdoor bar with no social distancing and everyone leaning into one another to talk. Of course, no masks. About 12 people.

In the absence of enforcement and legal liability risk, advisory guidelines are now simply business advice. Easily abandoned, easily ignored.

Mr. O'Bryan understands all of this well and has been a leader in explaining the public health risk of Covid-19 to all of us for months now.

Please listen to him. He is well-informed and knows Lakewood like the back of his hand. He also knows the restaurant and bar business well, too.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Channel 19 Reports...

News

Several gas attendants at yacht club in Rocky River test positive for coronavirus
Other clubs preparing plans to keep people safe during busy holiday weekend


https://www.cleveland19.com/2020/07/03/ ... 4XzDdITekY

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