I know I’ve talked about this before but people are still not getting it and I am trying to define what it is that people are failing to understand about social distancing, self isolation and staying home when the health authorities says you must.
Is it that they do not understand what a world pandemic is? Is it that they are still of the belief that COVID-19 is “just the flu”? Or is it entitlement gone off the scale?
We have all been asked to be socially responsible right now in order to stay safe, health-wise, and not contribute to the spread of a very dangerous and highly contagious virus. We have been asked to keep our distance from each other, not congregate in groups, avoid dining out (although grabbing a takeaway is okay), not hang out in cafes and generally not get together in groups outdoors, indoors, or have large gatherings in our own homes and to avoid protests like the…well I was going to say like the plague, which is appropriate I suppose, but anyway…
Maybe it’s because we haven’t experienced something like this in our lifetime, the last biggie being the flu that went global after the First World War and just about all of us here today were not here then. Things like plagues and pandemics tend to happen in countries where much of the population is crowded into substandard housing, poverty is rife, sanitation is nonexistent, where there is no access to fresh water, starvation rules and there is limited medical care. These countries are a breeding ground for infectious diseases and while those lucky enough to live in first world countries hear about the misfortunes of third world nations, it doesn’t touch them personally.
Until COVID-19. Suddenly the whole world is staring a deadly health threat in the face, yet there are many out there who are still of the misguided belief that it won’t touch them, they won’t catch it, and therefore the government and health directives do not apply to them. We live in a first world country and it just doesn’t happen to us. Except that it has. And because it has, there are a number of preventative measures that have been put in place in an effort to contain the spread.
So why then is it spreading like wildfire?
Because an entitled minority out there are flatly refusing to stay home, to avoid eating out, going to the pub, to stay in their own state, wear a mask, sanitise before entering a shop or business, are lying about their movements or where they have really come from, and ignoring the self-isolation rules if they have come in from overseas, are awaiting test results or have actually tested positive to the virus.
The threat of a large fine doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for these people so I’m hoping the threat of a gaol term is, and I really hope the authorities follow through with that one because these dipsticks are potentially killing people by their stubborn refusal to do the right thing under the current circumstances.
It’s not difficult. Yet it appears to be those in a position to do it in style and comfort are the ones who aren’t. But if you think about it, most of us aren’t really doing it all that hard by doing what we’ve been asked, and those who believe they are should take a closer look at what’s happening in countries a lot less fortunate than ours. True, some people are experiencing financial hardship to varying degrees but government financial assistance is available and going some way toward easing the pressure. Going out for dinner though, or going out daily for takeaway coffee, hanging out with drinks at the local pub, shopping for non essentials or touring the country (and possibly taking the virus with you) is not the way to go if your available funds have plummeted. But if you think you are being badly done by because you can no longer afford the lifestyle to which you have become accustomed and some of the things you’ve always enjoyed doing have been momentarily curtailed, ask yourself this; would you prefer to be in an intensive care unit fighting for your life? Would dying be preferable to cutting back on your usual social activities and/or wearing a mask when asked?
No one has the right to ignore the current preventative measures simply because they’re “inconvenient”. No one has the right to spread the virus via petulant, selfishly entitled behaviour because they stubbornly insist on clinging to their pre-coronavirus lifestyle, no matter what.
No one is exempt.