Photo: L. Weikel
Two Weeks From Now
Well, it sure seemed like today was a huge test for a lot of us here in the United States – even a bigger test than the special election in Wisconsin a few weeks ago. And I have to wonder what consequences we’ll be witnessing two weeks from now.
I was astonished when I drove to my office today (where I didn’t encounter a single person, by the way). But the traffic was shocking. Cabin fever, it would seem, has hit our country and hit it hard.
Not only was there a steady stream of traffic racing past my office for several hours today, but when Karl and I took a walk early this evening, our neighbors revealed what a hellacious day they’d had. Apparently people are losing their minds in the state and county parks.
Give a Little, Take a Lot
All of you who’ve been reading my posts know that I am an ardent advocate of people getting out into nature and taking walks, biking, whatever, as much as possible. In fact, when this pandemic was just in its infancy (as far as us realizing that social distancing was going to be our single best tool in keeping transmission rates down), I voiced upset over Pennsylvania’s initial choice to close the parks.
Well, I stand corrected. I had a lot more faith that people would use their damn heads if and when permitted to use our state and county parks. No. Such. Luck.
We have people parking in places that were never meant to be used as such. (Let us hope no one slips and falls at High Rocks, since there’s a huge risk that emergency vehicles wouldn’t even be able to get to the park, there are so many cars parked bumper to bumper on the sides of the roads leading to the park.)
And then there are the roving packs of people. There were groups of 10-12-14 people walking together today, laughing and having a great time together – as if they haven’t a care in the world. Not a face mask in sight.
They were given the opportunity to spread their legs and get out into nature – and they are taking too much. Those packs of people walking shoulder to shoulder up our country roads, blocking those roads with their cars, and not even seeming to care one whit about the people they’re ‘sharing’ trails with (or parking in – at their own homes), are reverting right back to the selfish ways that got us here in the first place.
We’ll See
Another example of this is reflected in the news reports that beaches in Florida and California are teeming with people desperate to ‘get back to normal’ and ‘soak in some rays.’
Well, for as much benefit as sunlight provides in killing the virus, I have a feeling, two weeks from now, we may see that sunshine wasn’t enough.
Case in point: just fifteen days following the election in Wisconsin on April 7th, 19 people have tested positive for the coronavirus.
I guess we’ll see how things fare two weeks from now. The worst part of all of this is that it’s not just people taking risks with their own lives. That would be one thing. But it’s another thing entirely when people decide to risk giving the virus to others. More and more, we’re discovering that asymptomatic people can easily be unwittingly spreading the virus like wildfire.
If you haven’t been tested, how do you know you’re not the ticking time bomb that will explode someone else’s life?
Two weeks from now will be interesting. I hope it’s not terribly depressing.
(T-580)