Dear COVID Rebels
How do you sleep?
Hello, all of you geniuses who knew there would be no second COVID-19 wave.
Wake up and smell the disinfectant: case numbers are surging. In many countries the daily case rate is far higher than during the spring lockdowns. Here in Switzerland, many hospital ICUs are nearly full. As I write this, I am waiting for an official announcement of whether we will go into full lockdown again.
‘No, no, poor misguided soul!’ you tell me, voice dripping with scorn or pity. ‘The increase in cases comes from a dramatic increase in testing. Without testing, you don’t have cases.’
Where have I heard that nonsense before? You are like the toddler who covers his eyes and tells his parents, ‘you can’t see me!’
No, my friends, testing is good, even if the results are terrifying. When you’re dealing with an infectious disease, knowledge is power. Knowledge of where the virus is and how it is spreading gives public health officials the power to intervene effectively.
But that only works if the rest of us cooperate. And whether we call it COVID fatigue, conspiracy thinking, ignorance, or just plain laziness, that’s not happening. Too many people have decided that the whole concept of public health is just not worthy of their attention.
For those of you who have chosen to flaunt the regulations, to ignore the science, to make your way through this season carefree and uncaring, I have a few words.
Thank you
Thank you, you delightful folks who exempt yourselves from the public health regulations. No masks, no handwashing, and certainly no pesky 2-meter distance. No, that is for wimps and fools. You flaunt the regulations and breath your contagion into the air without a second thought.
No symptoms? Then you can’t be sick. ‘It’s all a hoax,’ you say. ‘It’s an Illuminati plot to take over the world,’ you tweet.
Thank you for reminding me of how easy health become disability. Thank you for reminding me to appreciate every conversation with a loved one. Thank you for reinforcing just how quickly illness can take our loved ones away.
I’m sure everyone around the world who has lost a friend, family member, or their own health will join me in these thanks.
I’m impressed
I’m impressed by your creativity. Really. When faced with facts, you create theories. You treat science as if it was the same as faith: something to be believed. In your world view, if you don’t believe in something, it doesn’t exist. So if you don’t believe in this virus, it can’t kill you, me, or anyone else.
Talk about mind over matter! In this world of fast talking entrepreneurs entreating you to ‘find your passion’ and ‘you be you,’ you have done both.
Your passion is spreading disease and disinformation. You are dangerous and ignorant, and not afraid to show it. This is the right time to do both, and you jumped at the chance.
Sometimes I wish I had your courage.
Congratulations
Congratulations, all of you who felt unseen and unheard. Who felt unappreciated or ignored. Who wanted only to feel important.
You have achieved your dream. You have changed the world.
We know who you are now. You’re the people partying it up in Scotland while the rest of us stay home and try to stay safe. You’re the ones turning to violence when asked to follow the same rules as the rest of us.
You give nary a thought to the consequences. But that’s OK. By flaunting rules set out for everyone’s good health, you made an impact in your community.
That impact might have been death, despair, or job loss, but that doesn’t matter to you. You made a difference.
Hope
Thank you for the lessons in humility. I’m impressed by your ability to focus on your own reality, even in the face of facts. Congratulations on having made choices that really do change the world.
I hope you can live with yourselves.
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