Ignoring COVID-19 precautions is selfish
You’re endangering all of us, and it ticks me off
The smallest, meanest part of me has been thinking this for months. But the idea of writing it out loud would never have percolated to my fingertips until I read about hundreds of thousands of bikers descending on the small town of Sturgis, South Dakota, for its annual 10-day motorcycle festival. This despite health officials warning against even small gatherings, for fear of spreading coronavirus.
As I watched video footage of maskless bikers dancing in a jammed Budweiser tent, I thought to myself: I’m looking forward to watching Darwinian theory at work, culling the herd of those foolish enough and selfish enough to cram themselves into a superspreader party during a deadly pandemic.
This thought does not represent my finest moment, but I’m not going to apologize for it, call it a miscommunication, or claim it was due to an opioid addiction and check myself into rehab.
I’m exhausted. I’m exhausted from: going to the gym at 2 a.m. to avoid the crowds; dodging shoppers who ignore my 6 feet of social distance space; spraying egg cartons with alcohol because wipes don’t work on cardboard; maintaining a closer relationship with Netflix than my friends; and wearing a Darth Vader shield over the sweaty face mask that is making me break out for the first time since puberty.
I realize my obsessive compulsive disorder might have pushed me further than most. But sane Americans are struggling to follow the guidelines created to keep us safe and stop the spread of a virus that has claimed over 180,000 lives in the United States and about 830,000 globally. When I see thousands of people ignoring the most basic rules, it ticks me off. And no, wearing a mask as a chin strap does not count.
Narcissistic disregard for others
If only the violators were at risk, I wouldn’t be so angry. America has a long tradition of leaving people free to make bad choices for themselves. But COVID-19 is different. Every drunken house party or maskless church service allows this virus to hitch a ride on its hosts for up to two weeks before they get sick. During that time, they unwittingly spread it to family, friends, coworkers, grocery store employees, hair stylists and Uber drivers — who then spread it to others in the same way.
Fifteen cases of coronavirus that President Donald Trump promised would soon be “close to zero” have gone on an exponential rampage, infecting nearly 6 million Americans.
And here’s the part that makes my head explode: The people who ignored the rules are the ones lapping up hospital beds, ventilators and hours of medical treatment. This leaves many who tried their best, but got infected anyway, at risk of being left on the curb.
Some hospitals are full and are turning away patients. These same hospitals have implemented rationing rules that withhold care from those who are less likely to survive.
Parents and grandparents may be left to die because a bunch of millennials had to stack themselves on top of one another at the beach. People with cancer, heart disease and other lifethreatening conditions, meanwhile, often have to wait for treatment.
It’s not just the narcissistic disregard for others’ safety that brings a measure of satisfaction to the idea of “COVID-19 evolution” thinning the reckless naysayers. It’s the affirmative vitriol from mask haters. The internet is ripe with reports of everything from a woman trashing a mask display at Target to a retail store security guard killed after asking a customer to wear a mask.
Lost faith in ‘fellow Americans’
Raging against the science that shapes infection guidelines has become a badge of honor for many cultish Trump supporters who take their cues from a man willing to violate mask mandates wherever he goes and who encourages people to “LIBERATE!” themselves from state safety restrictions. The problem is that the people blindly following Trump’s lead do not have aides testing everyone who comes anywhere near them, like Trump does.
Few of Trump’s lies have been more gruesomely disproved than his claim that COVID-19 is no worse than the flu. Refrigerated trucks holding the overflow dead, because morgues are full, is a real thing. And if the body count were not enough, the longer we deal with coronavirus, the more doctors see “recovered” patients who are left with damaged hearts and lungs.
I understand how refusing to wear a mask, and getting together in a crammed bar with 50 close friends, can be perceived as a political statement and a stand for personal liberty. But there has always been a tension between personal liberty and the benefits of a civilized society. Laws that restrict smoking in restaurants are not being attacked in the same way as rules intended to save lives in a global pandemic. “No shirt, no shoes, no service” signs serve a far less compelling need than “mask required for entry.” And FYI, there is no constitutional right to shop without a mask at Walmart.
I don’t give a damn about the excuses anymore. People who refuse to make the most basic effort to stop the spread of this deadly virus are endangering the rest of us who are desperately trying to keep it together long enough to see a vaccine or treatment.
If we stand any chance of saving ourselves from the metastatic spread of this virus, it will come in the form of a change in leadership. Until then, I’ll do what I can to stop the most cynical part of me from losing all faith in the people I once called “my fellow Americans.”