Items

• 2020-10-06

  What is it going to take for Wisconsinites to take COVID-19 seriously?

  I find myself to be very troubled with the division of our current society. I live in Wisconsin and we have a democratic governor who, like many other governors, declared a public health emergency. In early March Governor Evers issued a mask mandate, put restrictions on the size and length of time of gatherings, shut down in-person school, and closed bars and restaurants. Although we continued to see increased cases and were able to track the spikes in cases to gatherings that defied the Safer-At-Home order, Republicans challenged and overturned the Safer-At-Home order after just sixty-two days. Calling the order an abuse of power, those who stood in opposition declared victory. We continue to be the only state where legislature (or the lack of) is what is driving our response to COVID-19. After the restrictions were lifted (in entirety), many in the state resumed life as ‘normal’. There were a good number of events cancelled. Their organizers cited liability when they were attacked for making the hard decision to shut down this year. The events that did move forward drew record attendance. My friend Randy is one of the many Americans who lost his job. He tried to make up for his lost income by promoting his band and he was able to book several gigs. After his fourth gig, he and several band members contracted the virus. Randy and his disabled daughter were both hospitalized. Jenna spent close to a week on a ventilator. Thankfully, she recovered. It could have been so much worse. People who chose to continue to wear masks, socially distance, and whether in support of the Governor or looking out for their own health and safety, continue to exercise caution were (and still are) publicly and brutally harassed. My husband has an incurable cancer. Although he is in remission, we remain vigilant with limiting our exposure as much as possible. A few months ago, we went to a hardware store and as we attempted to enter the store, two gentlemen (a term I use as loosely as possible), heckled us by calling us sheep and yelling “BAAAAA” as we tried to enter the store. Not wanting to make a scene, we turned around and left. On the way home, I called the store to report the incident. My thought was the family owned business was losing customers by no fault of their own so they should be made aware. I asked for a manager and ended up speaking with the owner. His response was to cite the fifth amendment and offer the option to take my business elsewhere. How did we become a society where it is OK to openly mock people who are just trying to keep themselves healthy? Fast forward to just a few days ago. On October 3rd, the Center for Disease Control reported that Wisconsin is now considered an epicenter of an outbreak having a reported 17,000 positive cases in seven days. It did not have to be this way. Why must the virus be so politicized? What happened to thinking of others? Most importantly, what is it going to take for Wisconsinites to take COVID-19 seriously?