Literally daily multiple people go into my partners work to shop maskless. If they have a "Doctors Note" (often dubious, fake, and not actually covered by the ADA) they have to let them in maskless because of company policy. About once every two week someone with no fake notes has to be forcibly escorted from the grocery store premises ranting about their freedom for being maskless. I'm talking armed guards because they literally start threatening the people working there when asked to wear a wee scrap of fabric. It's amazing how fragile people are and how often they refuse to wear their masks.
Nine cases this week. In that one store.
Our
TSC is in a highest-risk county (extreme uncontrolled spread). EVERY time I walk in there, there' customers maskless and most of the employees aren't covering their nose with their masks. They're still using neck gaiters too which have been proven to INCREASE the spread not reduce.
And people can't get why it's still spreading fast. Because we started late. Because people DON'T comply. Because people DO have to go to work to care for those selfish humans - even after they deliberately put themselves in harms way. They spread it to others very quickly by refusing to wear masks and we end up with Typhoid Mary's on every corner. It's a mess. But masking DOES help - tons of studies show it - and if we could increase compliance it would help more.
Lots of ways to do that. Arrest and fine lawbreakers. Refuse access to businesses, lines and closed spaces without a mask unconditionally and offer curbside pickup for people with ADA needs for being unmasked.
We could even pay people to stay home from work, put rent moratoriums up, force businesses to go remote, put a moratorium on business rent etc. Make sure that the loss of income doesn't force people out of homes or into extreme poverty. But a lot of that isn't happening either.
We could general strike (ha) and demand better action be taken, by both businesses and lawmakers.
Lots of ways to push people to act on all that but they're tricky. Ranked voting may put more active/representative politicians in office who are willing to pass measures to keep people safe. We could protest and riot, but then you end up going to jail where cases are terribly high. You can push people socially like we do here - not a lot of minds changed but you don't change peoples minds by fighting online. Instead you reassure others they're on the right path and pressure people with rubbish opinions to back down and not spread their waste about.
And no, it's not sustainable. But we'll have a well vaccinated population by the end of 2021. And being unwilling to sacrifice for the greater good of others - especially temporarily!- is a moral choice, one that others are welcome to judge people for. You can stand up and say "Old people should die so randos can go shopping" but everyone always has the option of telling you what an AWFUL idea that is and what we think of you for it.
flu season?
