It’s becoming apparent that young Americans will ultimately decide what direction the Covid-19 pandemic will take prospectively. This group is abandoning isolating and masking more often as each day passes.
After spending time in New York, Colorado and Florida during the past several months, I can attest to many unsafe actions by the youngest among us. Is it the belief that they will live forever that drives them to take unnecessary risks? Or are they aware of the statistics that indicate young people who contract the deadly virus do not die from it, unless they have an existing condition?
The problem with these perspectives is that many can pass on the deadly bug to others that are vulnerable. Older people, including ones they love, such as mothers fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers can and have been dying in increasing numbers. Who is responsible for the actions of these individuals? Why do they care about their own amusement more than the safety of others?
Consider the actions of young people over the past few months. Where do they congregate? It is summertime in every state, so being outdoors and in the sun is a prime activity. Sitting on the beach without distancing or masks could be a deadly past time.
In the evening, drinking increases and so does the risk of spreading disease. Crowding anywhere to savor the music and socialize with others has been a major inspiration for the virus. Wearing a mask while one is trying to meet others is not popular. If a casual meeting results in further intimacies the odds of contagion increases exponentially.
Protesting in large groups is another popular activity of the young. Crowds are a risk. Asymptomatic individuals can create havoc as rabid demonstrators abandon masking and do not keep their distance from others. Emotions are high and spreading ones’ beliefs trumps all other considerations.
In and this day and age, and during the pandemic, living at home with parents and other older relatives is commonplace. If these older people are 50 or 60 years old, statistics indicate that contagion and subsequent death is much greater. Where are the responsible people? I don’t know, but they’re not the ones schmoozing on the beaches and at nightclubs.
If we are ever to beat this disease, young people will have to cooperate. Simply put, we need to avoid going to places where crowds are dense and where conditions are ripe for disease, like transportation centers, subways and elevators. The alternative is that the number of cases will continue to grow and many older people will die.
The other possibility is enforcement led by the police, National Guard and even our standing army. Americans don’t want a deadly disease or armed officials deciding how we live our lives.