Unmasked — lack of social distancing has gone viral
Hey, maybe you haven’t been keeping up on current events, but we just got our a—— kicked, pal!” – Bill Paxton’s character in “Aliens”
In that movie, U.S. Marines embark on a rescue mission to save humans from aggressive aliens. The only survivor - Newt, a little girl - had an ingenious “secret” to evading the predators: She “social distanced” from them. In other words, Newt didn’t go near the very things that wanted to invade her body for use as a host. Smart.
But ironically, life isn’t imitating art in how countless Americans are dealing with coronavirus.
Rather than avoiding a virulent disease unknown to the human body
- to which people have no natural defense, might have been genetically engineered, and is causing shocking effects - many are ignoring caution and choosing entitlement. In other words, they are doing whatever they want, whenever they want - masks, social distancing, and common-sense be damned.
Several years ago, an extendedfamily member died in a motorcycle accident. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, which is how he preferred to ride. At the viewing, some commented that Pennsylvania should mandate motorcycle helmets. Wrong. Such laws are government intrusion into individual freedoms. And the reason is simple: Helmet-less riders are not a physical threat to anyone but themselves.
Put another way, not wearing a helmet only impacts the rider, just as mandatory seatbelt laws for drivers are misplaced because failure to wear one doesn’t affect other people.
But there is a massive difference between individual freedoms, and actions which threaten the economic and physical security of the American people. And make no mistake: Blatantly disregarding health and safety rules regarding coronavirus is a direct threat on both fronts. We reap what we sow, and our spoiled-brat
“it’s all about me” mentality is setting us up for a potentially mammoth fall - which could be avoided if more Americans simply used a modicum of common-sense. Here’s where things stand:
1) Many have made the reopening of states, or lack thereof, political. Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. But what’s clearly evident is that this is not a one-size-fits-all situation, meaning that areas with relatively few COVID-19 cases should not be lumped in with more severely affected regions. Blair County is not Philadelphia, just as Montana is not New Jersey. Caution is to be applauded, but it needs to go hand-in-hand with practicality. Reopening the country should not be done to meet political timetables so that rallies can be held, but executed in a data-driven, methodical manner so that people can return to work and put food on the table in ways that are deemed safe.
2) In many cases, those screaming the loudest to re-open - saying states remaining closed are doing so to hurt Donald Trump - are the very ones eschewing safety measures. So instead of getting back to work and seeing their candidate’s campaign ramp up, the opposite may occur: Failure to follow medical guidelines may lead to a resurgence in the summer, and an even bigger surge in the fall, resulting in more prolonged shutdowns, no political rallies, and a mail-in voting system that will be ripe for fraud.
3) Talk about political ironies: - New York Mayor Bill De Blasio is fencing off beaches to keep people away, yet staunchly opposes a border wall. How can you support one but not the other, since they accomplish the same goal - namely, keeping unauthorized people (lawbreakers) out of a particular area? The mayor’s picking and choosing what walls he favors is the height of hypocrisy.
Walls aren’t just to control illegal immigration, but are a nation’s first and last line of defense in preventing the unchecked transmission of deadly viruses. Proof? China imposed a lockdown quarantine of over 60 million people shortly after the Wuhan outbreak. To enforce it, they constructed barriers between cities and towns to stop people from crossing those “borders.” Without those walls, this crisis would be exponentially graver.
-Several Democratic Governors have rebuffed the federal government over proposed COVID-19-related regulations, claiming that states are better suited to make decisions. So when times are good, these people are all about big government - nationalized health care, higher federal taxes, more federal regulations, national gun control measures, etc. - but when a real world crisis hits, they do a
“180” by invoking states’ rights, arguing that they, and not the federal government, know best. Nothing like moral flexibility.
4) News flash: Wearing a mask does not mean social distancing disappears. But it is appalling how many invade the personal airspace of others simply because they are wearing a mask and that term is used very lightly, since most masks are ineffective.
It’s great that people are decorating masks and breaking out the sewing machine to make face coverings. Something is better than nothing, but, fact is, only the N95 is effective at preventing transmission of coronavirus. And even with an N95, the 6-foot distance between people should be strictly enforced.
Two other points: 1) Sorry, but your turtleneck, tissue or shirt does not qualify as a mask - just saying. 2) The Surgeon General and CDC don’t own a stellar track record during this pandemic, as just two months ago they stated that most people should not wear masks. The idiocy of that “advice” was mindboggling, and it undermined the greatest weapon the government has when fighting a pandemic: Credibility.
5) It sounds good to repeat the buzz-phrase “the curve is flattening,” but, in reality, it is meaningless. Just look at Texas - America’s second-most populous state which just experienced its highest daily infection rate. Since more and more people are traveling as states re-open, the possibility of continued transmission increases. We can’t keep the nation closed indefinitely, so living with coronavirus is a necessary risk. But the more we don’t use our heads, the more likely that coronavirus will thrive. Consider:
- The Ocean City, N,J., boardwalk was packed this week - almost as crowded as summertime - yet video showed very few with masks.
- Beach-goers from coast to coast were close together, with most not heeding social distancing guidelines.
- From Colorado to Wisconsin, bars were business-as-usual crowded. And if proper spacing isn’t employed when sober, imagine how it will be after a few drinks.
- Many are hosting large gatherings at their houses, where shaking hands, hugging and close-quarter games are prevalent - all without masks.
- Clueless religious groups of all faiths are pushing to reopen churches, which isn’t the smartest move since A) people will be close together, and B) many congregants are older, and as such, are the demographic most at-risk. In California’s Butte County, a church defied the governor’s stayat-home order and conducted inperson services. Now, according to the county’s Public Health Administration, 180 people are in quarantine because a church-goer tested positive for COVID-19 after Mother’s Day services. Brilliant.
- In New Jersey, people (many without masks) were protesting that a gym was not legally allowed to open because of the lockdown. So you live in the secondhardest hit state, yet are clamoring to go to a sweaty, germ-filled gym where social distancing will be difficult to maintain? Talk about dumbbells.
6) Transmitting HIV to someone without their knowledge is a crime. Likewise, if a person knows they are infected with coronavirus, and ventures out anyway, he should be arrested. And if a person who contracts COVID-19 from him succumbs, more severe charges should be on the table. Enough is enough.
It’s one thing to reopen the country. But it is inexcusable that many Americans refuse to do it responsibly. How many more have to die for the ignorant to change their behavior?
If the recklessness continues, we may need to resurrect Kate Smith to lead a new song: God Help America.