dismiss the warning signs as has been done all throughout the (still going) global pandemic.
Count me in as disappointed too: we've been ignoring all negative signs for as long as the pandemic lasted, but now people want to jump at the first positive one.
I get it. I am sick and tired too. I want to move on with life now that I'm double vaxd and my risk assessment says a) I am literally bound to catch it at work b) nothing particularly bad is going to happen to me or my double vaxd husband, my only social contact right now other than work. The timing, with the holidays, is particularly nasty to be introducing new restrictions or imposing them upon yourself. But is it that difficult to avoid proclaiming we shouldn't have any further restrictions until we actually have some solid answers?
What restrictions? We have already had restrictions, and still have many of them. What we did in March 2020 didn't work. So what are you all proposing?
I really struggle with the "it didn't work" mentality. How much worse would it have been if there weren't the kinds of lockdowns that were put in place. Let's compare Australia with the US. The former came down hard, and nearly eradicated it - but at least contained it enough to carry on with life. The latter ... not so much.
What am I proposing ... That we don't need to fill movie theatres, and arenas (sports or concerts) or have a packed Times Square on New Year's Eve. Or that it's ok for recreation leagues pause their schedules, or that spin classes need not be filled with steamy panting people inhaling and exhaling 80 times per minute. Or that school systems mandate COVID vaccines the same way they mandate MMR, tetanus, diptheria, polio, and chicken pox. Or that masks be worn by all in indoor facilities where distancing cannot maintained. Or that any business where patrons congregate for extended periods of time have restrictions on capacities - because it's unfair to expect business owners to police masking and distancing requirements.
Ya know... stuff that is going to slow the spread of the very virus we humans who (once infected) are spreading and catching through every breath that we take.
When talking about the benefits of restrictions, we should not forget the negatives. As someone who spent most of 2020 in a depressed state, I can relate.
My heart breaks for you Marc, it truly does (check your FB IMs). I hope no one ever says to you "stuff happens", because all of this is totally unfair to all of us. It really is. Yes, there are costs and negatives to restrictions ... some very significant ones. I'm just of the mindset that the costs of NOT doing them are even more severe - not to everyone obviously, but they are severe enough to a significant enough number of people that I will grudgingly do my part to get society through this.
I guess I look at my actions in this like I do voting. Do my individual actions (vote) actually make a meaningful difference? Probably not. But EVERYONES actions (votes) does. So I'll do my part.
@ Tim's post. I agree. In a time where we have many diametrically opposed issues (ie, it's impossible to solve both/multiple at the same time), which do you chose / which do you sacrifice? It's almost like medical triage... ABC - Airway, Breathing, Circulation. What are the ABC's of society?
I wish I knew.