The worldwide coronavirus is scary news indeed. The number of cases continues to grow — and if recent events are an indication, some of those cases can be attributed to people too selfish to keep themselves quarantined.
It’s going to get better, then much worse.
In the Northern Hemisphere, coronavirus cases will likely decrease as spring turns into summer. They’ll be back with a vengeance, though, when flu season starts in the fall.
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But of course, the seasons don’t necessarily sync up throughout the world.
So this also means that the Southern Hemisphere is likely to see an uptick in cases soon.
We’ve been through this before.
Well, we haven’t seen COVID-19 before. But pandemics come and go. To protect yourself, it’s good to avoid large crowds, avoid touching your face, and frequently wash your hands. It’s simple stuff.
But how do you protect others?
If you’ve contracted coronavirus, or even if you have a cold, it’s quarantine time. That means limiting contact with other people so you don’t spread the virus. Again, it’s very simple stuff.
It’s hard to enforce a quarantine.
Health officials in Missouri have found this out the hard way after a man in St. Louis County decided to ignore their orders to quarantine himself. In doing so, he’s put an entire community at risk.
Wait, what?
According to USA Today , the man’s daughter tested positive for coronavirus. Health officials dutifully ordered the family to quarantine themselves. The dad clearly had other ideas.
He took his other daughter to a school dance.
A father-daughter school dance is a nice idea, but not when you’re potentially carrying a deadly virus. The dad decided to take his other daughter to the dance, defying orders to self-quarantine.
The school is doing their best.
In a Facebook post, school officials said the campus would be closed for at least a day while it underwent “hospital-grade cleaning”. Once things are properly sanitized, students will be able to return after spring break.
You just can’t rely on some people.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said at a news conference that health officials were relying on “common sense and goodwill” when they instructed the family to stay in quarantine.
It’s a textbook case.
“The way the family has reacted to this situation is really a tale of two reactions,” Page said. “It is a study of how people should and should not react to coronavirus.”
There’s a little more to the story.
The father and daughter left the dance after they heard of the positive result, according to local media.
Still, they defied the county’s orders in the first place.
This was presumably done under the impression that the test would turn out negative, but this definitely shows that gambling on that possibility isn’t a wise decision.
Maybe just avoid school dances in general.
I mean, it’s probably best to avoid any crowded spaces, right? Also, don’t forget to wash your hands.
Most importantly, listen to health officials if they’re telling you to quarantine!
Things can only get worse if we don’t take our public health seriously in times like these.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
