It’s interesting how people want it to be all or nothing! Some say masks work, and some say they don’t. Social distancing is necessary for almost ALL of our daily life events, but you can be a part of ginormous protests without thinking twice.
People compare COVID-19 to the flu. Realize that there have been several Flu pandemics in the past, with devastating consequences. The Flu Pandemic of 1968 killed 1 million / the Asian Flu of 1956-1958 killed 2 million / the Flu Pandemic of 1918 killed 20 -50 million / the Flu Pandemic of 1889-1890 killed 1 million.
Eventually, flus either run their course – or now with our technology, a vaccine is developed. Although we've been successful at finding a vaccine for recent flus - we still have no vaccine for COVID-19.
We have become a society where we make decisions based on what we want, while the needs of others, as well as public health and safety is secondary. We have never been through this particular pandemic. We have no vaccine. We have not learned enough about it yet, and it continues to evolve. Is the act of wearing a mask and social distancing so vile, that it cannot be tolerated – even on the off-chance that it might at least slow the spread of the virus?
As of today, there are 10.3 million documented COVID-19 cases worldwide, with 506 thousand deaths. It is believed that there are many more undocumented. Since the reopenings here in the US alone, and subsequent removal of masks, some states have seen an uptick of 9000 cases in just one day.
We are only about 7 months into a pandemic that can literally last years. Trying to slow it's progress by ANY means until we can find a solution should be our most fervent concern.
I am in no way negating the shattering effect this is having on people of all ages, in all walks of life. The domino result has been unfathomable. I realize that this terrible pandemic is financially crippling to many. It's true that for some - their situation is already desperate. But knee-jerking a “quick fix’ now could cost us tremendously later.
We don’t need to split hairs about how much of the uptick is social gathering, and how much is mask related. We need to understand that this virus might be long-term, and that being bored, “getting tired” of dealing with it, and selfishly assuming that you know what’s best for YOU is exactly what will spread the virus quicker than anything!