My parents live in The Villages in Florida.

[Mariana]

They are 81 and 77, and they not being careful enough. The only reason they're staying home any more than usual is because The Villages has shut down most of the group activities. Even so, my father has found some excuse to go out among other people every day this week. This morning, he went to a supermarket during the time set aside for seniors. He told me the store was absolutely jammed with people when he was there.



Plenty of their elderly neighbors appear to be ignoring the warnings, as well.

People In This Senior Living Community Were Way Too Close In Spite Of The Coronavirus

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katebubacz/coronavirus-seniors-florida-the-villages-close

The Villages forced to close swimming pools, as Boomers ignore social distancing rules

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2020/03/19/the-villages-forced-to-close-swimming-pools-as-boomers-ignore-social-distancing-rules

[SWBTATTReg]

1. I'm shaking my head. They're putting lots of others at risk here with this behavior. NT

[dem4decades]

2. Good luck to them. The Villages is notorious for watching Fox news.

That might explain their foolishness.

[edhopper]

4. Yes

mostly Trumpers, who haven't heard he isn't calling it a hoax any more.

[Rebl2]

6. So true!

[Wounded Bear]

3. Same thing happening/happened here, sort of...

I live in a Senior Housing apartment. They shut down all "organized activities" several weeks ago, but the usual group was down in the common room, playing cards like nothing was changed. That went on for about a week or so until the office finally shut and locked the door to the room. The smokers still go out to the shack in the center of the parking lot to burn one as a group, 4-6 of them sitting in a 5-10 foot hut. Not sure how they could lock that. Good stuff, eh? Smoking in a group with the most contagious respiratory virus in recent history out there.

[unc70]

5. Parents are not Boomers. Oldest boomers 73-74

[Freddie]

9. Yup, Boomers' parents are not Boomers!

Kinda ticks me off when I hear people refer to folks in their 80s as “Boomers”. Please. Anybody older than mid-70s is what’s left of the Greatest Generation.

[sop]

10. They're "The Greatest Generation"

Or so they say.

[scarletlib]

19. To further clarify:

The Greatest Generation are all in their mid to late nineties and rapidly passing from the world. The generation that preceded the Boomers is known as the Silent Generation and was born between 1928-1945.

These 2 cohorts were the 2 most generously rewarded by society with pensions and other benefits than any other in our society to date.

[kskiska]

46. I'm 75 and a War Baby (born during WWII)

We preceded the Boomers, but you don't hear the "War Baby" designation much anymore.

[Mariana]

16. That's the headline of the story, which isn't about my parents

but about the residents of The Villages in general. The minimum age at The Villages is 50, I think, so lots of the residents are Boomers.

[boston bean]

22. 50 can be gen x

[moose65]

23. 50 *is* Gen X

I’m 54, and I’m a Gen X er. Anyone who is 50 is definitely Gen X!

Another thing that bugs me is people who say that millennials are the people who are ignoring this and going to Florida for spring break. Not true. Current college students are NOT millennials. They are Generation Z.

[boston bean]

28. I was being nice.

[steve2470]

7. hate to say it, but The Villages will probably get decimated

I do hope I'm wrong.

eta: I do hope your parents remain safe!

[mcar]

25. I hope the Democrats are staying inside

[steve2470]

26. me too! nt

[Demonaut]

8. are they conservative?, I think that portion of the population follows trump and his advice

[BigmanPigman]

12. My friends moved there several months ago

Last edited Fri Mar 20, 2020, 11:53 PM - Edit history (1)

and I first heard of it. I did research and the Villages is about 80% GOP and they have high voter turn out.

**** The community is also the STD capital of the US. Those seniors love to party like it's 1999 and they do not care if they infect others.

[customerserviceguy]

39. I've heard

about the STD thing there. I guess it's not just college-age young people acting recklessly in Florida.

I'm glad I convinced my lady to sell her condo in Stuart, FL, and we compromised on SC.

[BigmanPigman]

40. I think I was the last person to hear about their STD thing.

Everyone I have mentioned The Villages to already heard about it. I guess I live in a cave. Now I definitely do...self quarantining. No cooties or tRump Virus for me, thank you very much.

[Mariana]

34. Yes, they are, but they know Trump lies.

They just think it's a good thing that he lies. No, it doesn't make any sense to me, either. Anyway, they think he's lying now about Coronavirus being a serious threat. "He has to say that for political reasons, but he'll make them all look like fools in the end."

"

[muntrv]

11. Given that Florida's beaches are still packed with spring breakers,

the youngsters are also careless.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2020/03/19/spring-break-beaches-florida-look-packed-despite-coronavirus-spread/2873248001/

[Mariana]

18. All the more reason for the old people to take precautions. nt.

[MontanaMama]

29. The spring breakers are all headed home

to infect their communities. We here in MT have been skating on 11 cases for a few days. I just checked and now we have 15. I’m betting it blows up by the end of next week.

[Rebl2]

13. My husband took

Advantage of the early hours for seniors today and he said it looked like the day before Thanksgiving. The grocery stores in KC area just have the first hour for seniors and I think it should be the first two hours. He said they had an employee at the door letting them in and turned away younger people.

[matt819]

14. My mother lives in Florida

She’s 90, lives alone in condo complex where’s she’s lived for almost 30 years. Not very social, so that’s not a problem. Talks to my sister every day and me once in a while. Sharp as a tack and knows what’s going on. She goes out to shop every 10-14 days. We’ve offered to arrange for food deliveries. She said no. We might anyway. No need for warnings for her, and no need to ignore warnings. Her life hasn’t changed because of Covid-19. So that’s a plus. The only problem is if she gets sick, whatever she gets, there’s the issue of getting there to help out.

[BlueJac]

15. I feel for you

I know the popular Right Wing residents are hard core That is to bad.

[hlthe2b]

17. Uggh... Nearly all are Trumpsters there. I love the guy who single-handedly protests Trump when

he comes to rally his sycophants.

[mcar]

27. He's come to a few of our protests in nearby Citrus County

The Villages is primarily Republican, but has the largest Democratic Club in the state, and one of the largest Democratic Women's Clubs.

I hope they are laying low right now.

[FM123]

20. Sending wishes to your parents to remain healthy & safe.

[ok_cpu]

21. Just had the same conversation with my wife

Her parents are a couple of years older but about the same age difference. We're doing everything we can to keep them safe because my wife has to go to their house multiple times a day to check in or care for them.

Her mom is running around shopping, having people over, etc. She's only limited by what's been closed or cancelled. I said to my wife that while we're doing all of this worrying for them, they are going to end up killing one of us. Their actions have been only slightly less selfish than the spring-breakers we all saw the other day. They'll say that they don't care if they die and never give a thought for who they may pass it on to in the meantime.

Edit to add that they are not tRumpers. Just self-absorbed at the moment of the current crisis.

[mcar]

24. I live near The Villages

You are right to worry about your parents. Most of the people who live there are the Trumpiest of the Trumpies. They are entitled and self-indulgent.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

35. I sense some irony here.

Trump and right-wing media downplayed the dangers from the beginning and from what I'm hearing, some still are. Ironic that areas of concentrated R-voters could be the hardest hit in the nation. In this case, denial kills.

In KY, most of our rural areas have been brainwashed by Faux News for a long time and infections are beginning to explode in some of those areas. There, tradition carries them to church or family visits several times a week and out to eat even more. They will be reluctant to change due to Republican denial and a right-wing hard-headed sense of self-sufficiency. Almost identical situation in my native state of Tennessee.

We're lucky to have a great Democratic governor that at least tries to report cases accurately, contrary to Florida.

KY

[mcar]

36. I'm so happy you have your good D Governor!

Yes, we're in dire straights here. I've been reading about the Villages denial and, of course, we have our governor only now closing beaches.

I just read that 3 Orlando Airport TSA workers tested positive. How many spring breaker/Disney goers went through those lines. Orlando's TSA check is the worst and so crowded.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

37. That's one of the last things we need is for our security infrastructure....

to come apart due to public carelessness. Cops, security guards, firefighters and TSA are all vulnerable and I hope they can work safe.

Because our police here will no longer respond to non-life threatening events in our community, I fear a wave of theft and vandalism. Making it worse, rednecks with guns will be popping caps at anyone in the area they don't know.

Therefore, residents will need to be vigilant against both coronavirus and petty thieves, especially as people become more desperate due to loss of income.

The hangover from this thing will be with us for decades.

[Blue_true]

41. Yes, TSA at Orlando is very crowded, many lines maybe three feet apart,

each line having several hundred people in it.

[Mariana]

42. I think most churches have stopped having their congregations meet.

There are plenty of holdouts, though. South Korea has had to deal with outbreaks due to the virus being spread around during church services. The same thing is almost certain to happen in some of the churches here.

[marlakay]

30. I was trying to explain to my mother 92

Why its going to take longer to get her certain things, she said, i will just get a taxi and go myself!

She is in senior home, they now lock front door to visitors and screen everyone, they send meals up to apts, no housecleaning just pick up garbage at door, they stopped shuttle, you would think she would have a clue!

I told her mom you are at risk and even if you went stores are out of tp and other stuff. How do you tell your mom who has used too much paper all her life to change? I have tried over last 50 yrs I have tried.

The place gave her 4 rolls today which would last me and my husband awhile for her I hate to say. She was raised by a germaphobe and puts paper on the seat even at home and its only her!

[spanone]

31. I thought about communities like the Villages when I first heard about this virus...

They are built around communal living.

[nitpicker]

32. One stray thought

What if there was an app where they could chat at each other while criticizing what the drone over the fruit-chooser's shoulder is showing?

[nitpicker]

33. That's why I sat in my car for 10 minutes at Aldi's

To avoid those queuing up for the opening.

Then went counter-flow.

Result: Nipped in to the cashiers ahead of the buy-out-the-store ones, with two whole checkers working, got in and out in 10 minutes!

[GulfCoast66]

38. If it were not for thousand of old, white upper middle class republicans moving here every year,

We would be a blue state. But they are moving here faster than they die. The Villages is the heart of that beast. Saw a news article on local news and a huge number think it is fake news ginned up by democrats to hurt trump.

But if Coronavirus hits hard there, and it may well, their business plan will go down the tubes.

Not hoping it happens. But the lord works in mysterious ways. Or so I’m told.

On edit. I realize there are a good many Democrats there. I hope they are isolating themselves from all those not taking precautions.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

43. An article in the Villages-News.com says....

Trump is doing a "masterful job" in handling the crisis.

Read it here if you dare risk losing your dinner....

Link: https://www.villages-news.com/

Sad to see so many brainwashed elderly people and even more sad to see a high concentration of them in one small area during a pandemic.

KY............

[Mariana]

44. That isn't an article, it's a letter to the editor.

People like that writer will never turn on Trump, no matter what happens. If the Coronavirus gets them, they'll be blaming Obama for it with their dying breaths.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

45. Thanks, I couldn't stand to open the link to it. Too much unnerving stuff right now.

That is one of the most sad situations I've heard of in a long time. What on earth has happened to our older generation (I guess I'm just a kid at 72, LOL)?

When I was young in TN (50s, 60s), our older folks were very wise, compassionate and tolerant, all Democrats and regularly read the newspapers out of Nashville to stay abreast - even though some had difficulty reading due to poor Depression era education (my mom and dad only made it through the 8th grade). But they were sharp a a tack with general knowledge!

Both sad and heartbreaking.