I’m talking about Covid-19 circa March-April of 2020; as of now, there is no war, there is no cure. Aren’t we getting a little tired of MEWA (Make Everything a War Analogy)? There’s no “War on Christmas” and there’s certainly no war against an unbeatable micro-zombie (virus) that’s literally eating humans alive.
We do not have a vaccine; health experts say an effective, safe vaccine is 12-18 months in the future. Even when we do get a vaccine, that’s not a “cure”; a vaccine doesn’t help anyone who is already sick. I don’t understand how anyone can imagine a “war” where you have no effective weapon against the enemy, where the best you can do is run and hide/avoid (which is basically what “social distancing” is).
Americans, or maybe the world, loves to analogize/masculinize everything into a violent altercation, where all conflict is “fighting” and the deepest insult possible is “cowardice.” This is epidemiology, not war, and our best option is preventative practices, which can mitigate the spread. Such practices are borne of concern and caution, not “bravery”; here, the brazen and fearless are not “war fighters,” but instead will be carriers who catch and spread the disease.
Make no mistake, there’s no stopping this outbreak. Social distancing is a mitigation strategy, intended only to slow (not stop) the spread, so as to not overwhelm our medical facilities and give us time to ramp up supply chains, testing facilities and such.
Since we know this is only a mitigation strategy (and not an elimination strategy), I say, please have compassion and flexibility. For those who refuse to take this seriously and refuse to do any social distancing, I understand that social pressure makes sense to bring them closer in line with recommendations. However, as the recommendations keep changing and everyone has their own levels of comfort / security, I say try to let go of your judgement. Not everyone has to go to the same level of personal security in order for mitigation to work.
For anyone who wants to stay home 100% of the time or “suit up” in various coverings for every excursion into the public, or maintain 10+ feet of physical distance from others, I completely support you. But please don’t cast aspersions with those who are comfortable with a more moderate approach.
Mask and face-covering guidance keeps changing. Having read and listened to various medical experts and also opinion pieces, I feel that in a crowded situation (especially if working in a grocery or pharmacy) a mask might help block the wearer from getting virus particles. However, I feel that the main benefit of wearing a mask or face covering is to prevent the wearer from shedding virus in public (as transmission of particles from mouth/nose seems to be the main form of contamination). So, because some people may be infected/contagious and not know it, I can see the benefit of everyone wearing masks in public, especially interior spaces like stores.
Wearing gloves, though, seems to be more security theater than sound medical advice. I’ve yet to hear any medical professional recommend gloves for the general public. The virus is not transmissible through the skin; the danger of having the virus on your hands is that we humans frequently touch our face and could transfer virus on hands to eyes, nose or mouth. Wearing gloves does not prevent you from touching your face. And if you wear gloves, when you remove them (generally with at least one hand touching a glove) you’ll need to wash your hands anyway, so why not just wash your hands regularly (and try to avoid touching face)?
All that said, my heart goes out to those who are disproportionately affected and may not be able to get sufficient (or any) relief, including the usual suspects who are undermined or ignored in our regular “middle-class” focused society, such as the homeless, sex workers, the underemployed, those living paycheck-to-paycheck, gig workers (e.g., musicians), especially those further marginalized, such as trans folk of color.
It’s a sad time for humanity, but I hope that we’ll take this opportunity (after pandemic is under control) to reset, as many of the normal societal flaws have become exaggerated and more obvious than before. For example, maybe we need better and more universal sick leave for workers? And maybe the environmental improvements of social distancing and lockdowns across the world will prompt us to realize & radically reduce the human impact of pollution?
