I will start with saying that I am neither passive nor panicked about COVID-19. I exercise caution and care for myself and my family and a healthy dose of compassion for others. In other words, I practice social distancing and wash my hands, amongst other precautions. Having said that, I must add: People. I mean. For the love of all things holy, wash your damn hands! Being in one of the two stalls in the bathroom when you finish your business and leave means I know as a fact you didn’t wash your hands. Give me a break, it’s 20 seconds of warm sudsy. You can do it. Trust me.
In the current situation, if you’re going to use masks and other valuable medical supplies, please at least use them correctly. Every person wearing a mask on the trail where I walked today was wearing it incorrectly. The colored side goes towards the person you are trying to protect. If you are protecting yourself, the colored side should be towards your own face. If you are sick and protecting others, 1) the colored part should be facing outward and 2) if you are sick, freaking go home! Also, if you are only covering your mouth, yer doin’ it wrong. The mucous membranes in your nose are still very much unprotected.
On yesterday’s walk, there was a couple that came to the trail shortly after I did. I came to 15 feet away from the woman, who had stopped walking. Her husband was calling to her to follow him, but she wouldn’t move. She moved far off the track into the mud and I gave her a wide berth (as I said, 15 feet). I realized she was saying something to me, so I popped out my ear bud. She put her hand over her nose and mouth (which will do absolutely nothing in the way of protection) and was yelling at me “Ain’t you afraid of that Chinese flu?!?” I responded that we need to keep our distance from each other. She took off through the mud and woods to get back to their car. The husband threw up his hands and finished walking the trail to meet her at their car. I was dismayed at her reaction. I purposefully kept far away from her. You would have thought I was intentionally pushing her boundaries. Her obvious panic aside, we’ve long passed the stage of this being a “Chinese” flu. It is a worldwide pandemic. Calling it the Chinese flu is doing nothing but instilling fear of a nation and is not helpful. It has a name. Coronavirus is the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. It does not care what country you’re from, color you are, language you speak, or how much money you have. It is the essence of ‘indiscriminate.’
I know how this sounds. It sounds like I am being very critical of my fellow human beings and county-mates. It is born from frustration of someone who is immuno-compromised and worried about the fact that so many people are taking a blasé attitude towards our current situation.
We’re not statistics… not merely numbers on some chart for scientists to track. I hear people saying that this is a Democratic hoax. At last count, my county has lost 23 people to this disease. For the record, a hoax doesn’t usually kill people. To add to that, these people are not just 23. They are mothers and fathers, grandparents, brothers and sisters, friends… They shared this Earth with us and left it too soon. So many more were effected by their loss. “Yeah, well, he was old anyway.” That’s a grandfather who won’t see his granddaughter graduate high school. “Yeah, well, she didn’t do social distancing.” That’s a mother and a nurse who was treating patients and sleeping (when she could sleep) in a separate room so she didn’t risk contaminating her kids. “Yeah, well, he was always sick anyway.” That’s a dad with COPD whose lungs could not handle the strain and now his small children have to figure out life without their dad. “Yeah, well…” What would yours be?
I have not lost hope. Neither should you. There’s far more to this situation that any of us realize, but it’s not beyond us. We need to take it seriously and take care of ourselves and each other. Be careful and smart. Be kind and patient. Be loving and understanding. We need each other, and this will get worse before it gets better. We are called to be generous and compassionate. If we don’t, this will go on for much longer and inflict so much more damage than it has already.
Oh, and wash your hands.