Commonsense COVID Policies

Keeping one’s distance while in public, wearing a face mask in public, washing hands, taking vaccines when available. Taking precautions in any gathering whether it is at the doctor’s office or in a classroom. For those who can avoid those situations, they communicate and transact business remotely over the internet, phone or Zoom. They avoid contact.

The results? Spread of COVID has dropped. Common colds have dropped. Instances of the flu have dropped. Even allergies from springtime plant growth have lessened. The policies and actions suggested by the CDC work.

There are those who believe such policies and directives are interfering with their lives. Well, they do not. The COVID disease is interfering with their lives. Trying to lessen that impact is what the directives are all about. It is simple logic.

If a person simply cannot abide by the directives, then they ought to isolate themselves from others so they can avoid the sense of others controlling them. Oh? Is isolation an impact caused by others? Is this one of the controlling impacts?  Well, truly it is not. No; it is the disease that is providing the impact.

Spring break witnessed huge gatherings of high school and college students. They got sick. They came back home and spread their sickness to others. Those people spread it to still others. Same with Easter gatherings that overtook too many households in the family. COVID spread. Hospitalizations grew. The numbers proved the results of gathering too readily.

And now, the airline industry is opening its reservation desks full bore. Middle seat configurations are open for business. Public policy tells them not to, but they flaunt those restrictions to make money. Forget the fact that their national government slathered billions of dollars of aid to the industry to ‘save’ it. It is saved, but for what purpose? Irresponsible return to business as usual too soon will only destroy the progress we have made.

The pandemic has been ugly for all of us. Some more than others. But the length of the disease’s impact is up to all of us. Take common precautions that are effective to beat the disease. Keep doing that until the disease is a tame annoyance. That day will come. Sooner if we use commonsense.

The naysayers are being foolish. And childish. Stubborn. Even selfish. I get it. I understand their frustration. But the rest of us are doing our part. Now it is time for you to do yours.

April 20, 2021