If only we listened to the science and its voices. As Dr. Anthony Fauci warned during the height of the pandemic’s first surge, fall season would likely see a dramatic rise in the number of cases. Well, he was right! CNN is reporting that ten states broke their records of the highest cases in one day since July. How many more lives could America afford to lose before we, as a nation, join forces to combat this deadly virus?
The United States has now lost over 219,000 people. This country has experienced such an unfortunate tragedy while the current president does not take this pandemic seriously, even though he himself caught the virus. Ironic, to say the least. If it were not for his top medical professionals or the help from the latest drugs to combat the virus, he would have had a much tougher time. President Trump said as much when speaking to Rush Limbaugh on his radio show. The president admitted that he would have been in worse shape without the aid of the experimental drugs he received. So why won’t the president mandate masks, or at least encourage their usage?
In the final stages of this election cycle, the political rallies are heating up, which means more crowd gatherings. Candidate Joe Biden has been doing relatively smaller and socially distant campaign rallies. All of his rallies mandate that people must wear masks at all times. On the other side of the debate table, President Trump’s rallies require no masks. While temperature checks have now been implemented after the President’s (recent diagnosis) virus journey, attendees are still not required to wear masks. If you can’t even enforce mask usage at one of your rallies, how do we expect President Trump to eliminate this pandemic?
There are still thousands of naysayers of the virus, even when 219,000 people have died because of it on American soil. Besides the naysayers, there are also foolish Americans who genuinely believe that you accept the government’s control by wearing masks.
For America to curve this upcoming wave of cases, we need a president who will mandate masks all across the nation. If not President Trump, then Joe Biden. Wearing masks doesn’t take anyone’s rights away, nor does it call for subservience to the United States government. Thanksgiving family and friend gatherings may change from the ones we know if we as a nation don’t get our act together.
Masks don’t solve everything, however. Masks help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, not eliminate all the risks. Staying six feet away from people is strongly recommended.
Caring about one’s safety as well as the safety of others should not have to involve politics. We, as a nation, need to get a stronghold on this virus and curve it. Is America not known for its bravado?
Can’t we stand up and face this new enemy together? Sadly we are in a time that we are a divided people. Let us put politics aside and live up to our name. Let us battle this pandemic together.