The Hardest Days of the Pandemic
By Albert B. Kelly
Right now we’re in the hardest days of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are not necessarily in the scariest days, that distinction might well belong to those weeks back in March when we had no idea what we were in for, but we are in the hardest days and we’re partly responsible.
Not for nothing, but cases and infection rates are climbing quickly. As I write this, New Jersey is now routinely breaking 4,000 positive cases per day with rising rates of hospitalizations and deaths from this virus. What makes these the hardest days is the combination of fatigue, carelessness, and outright resistance or hostility toward those measures that would keep people safe.
It is not uncommon for me to travel through City Park and see numerous people of all ages and backgrounds playing sports or on the sidelines watching with hardly a mask among them. In addition to not wearing a mask, there’s no attempt at social distancing as many of these individuals are right on top of one another.
I’m glad to see people out exercising and engaged in something healthy and productive, and I also know that it is near impossible to play sports or undertake strenuous activity with a mask on, but even granting some latitude to those playing; there is no reason why spectators can’t wear a mask.
Locally in Cumberland County, we have had approximately 4,427 positive cases since the start of the pandemic, but more worrying is the fact that our daily rate of positives is moving in the wrong direction. To date, we have 162 Covid-related fatalities, but that number too will go up far more than it has to if we keep taking a casual approach to mask-wearing and social distancing.
Many people want to find fault with the governor for the decisions he has made and will have to make in connection with this pandemic in the days ahead, but I am not one of them. I say that because as an elected official concerned about all aspects of my community’s well-being, I cannot succeed without the help of my community and neither can he. In the context of Covid that help comes in the form of wearing masks, social distancing, and avoiding gatherings.
If people fail to wear masks whether due to pandemic fatigue, laziness, or because refusal to wear a mask has morphed into some sort of statement, that does not alleviate the need to act on behalf of the public safety and the public good. Public officials can’t simply do nothing and allow hospitals and medical personnel to become so overwhelmed that all medical care is endangered.
As for the economy, whether we think certain measures too restrictive or not, responsible public officials cannot simply hope for the best and run the risk that sickness and death spiral out of control so that fear and uncertainty shut down the economy completely. In the absence of a cooperative effort from the greatest number of residents possible, what remains are a series of measures that come with penalties because that’s all that will be left.
Imposing measures is not a stance any thoughtful and reasonable official wants take, not with the holidays coming over the next several weeks, but it is what remains if sizable numbers of people are unwilling to do what is in their power to do until we arrive at a better place.
On the local level, if it means closing park facilities, dismantling and storing away equipment, and undertaking other enforcement measures, it won’t be something arrived at lightly, but it will be something necessary to protect public health or at least not contribute to a complete breakdown of public health.
On the state level, it may well mean closures, restrictions,
bans, and whatever else has to be substituted for a lack of vigilance on the
part of the public. It’s ugly to say the least, but it will allow society to
function and help us get through this mess.
My point is that if we do this right starting with the Thanksgiving holiday, meaning diligent mask-wearing and social distancing and avoidance of gatherings we can make many mandated measures largely unnecessary.
It will be hard with the holidays coming and people wanting to be with family and friends but if we’re willing to make sacrifices closing out 2020, we will certainly be in a better place in 2021. It’s up to us now.