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opinion
COMMENTARY BY JONATHAN MESA, STAFF WRITER
S
URELY, NO student could have predicted losing a quarter of their 2019-2020 school year. Many parents and teachers have expressed concern for their students’ education, but what they fail to consider is that these precautions must be taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As can be seen through current consequences, there has already been a lack of action taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and more should be done to slow its spread.
Now, it is clear to see among countries that have had the longest time exposure to the virus that the ones that acted the fastest and most efficiently are in the best state of recovery from the pandemic. An example of this is Thailand, one of the first countries to be exposed, and now has the widest available testing for its citizens according to the World Health Organization. Countries like Thailand are arguably in the best position because of their immediate action and testing of citizens. Instead of following their example, the actions of the U.S. are slugish in comparison. As of mid-May the virus
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is already widespread within the U.S. and the death toll is just above 85,000. Immediate social distancing came in the closure of gathering places such as schools, gyms and restaurants. The mistake on the part of the U.S. government was enacting these changes too late. These implementations will help to slow the spread of the virus, but if they had been implemented earlier, it is likely that there would be a much smaller threat to deal with in the states. Meanwhile, the heads of the U.S. government are busy arguing with each other over the U.S.’s handling of the situation, with Democrats calling the Trump administration’s reaction to it one of incompetence, and President Donald Trump accusing the left of politicizing the coronavirus. In recent news, the government is making
TWO VIEWS: Coronavirus recovery As the U.S. slowly succeeds in combating the COVID-19 epidemic, are we taking the best path towards a full recovery? the foolhardy decision to reopen social spaces like beaches in some places in Florida, such as Jacksonville. This preemptive decision to reopen social spaces is not only careless but dangerous. The opening of Social spaces before a decline in the spread of the virus has even happened could very well lead to a second, deadlier wave of contaminations. If other places here in Florida choose to follow Jacksonville’s example, Florida may become the new COVID-19 hot spot. Understandably, the longer the population is quarantined, the more it economically falls into decline, with certain businesses like restaurants and movie theaters having been predicted to fall into bankruptcy should the shutdown continue for several more months. But the government should be able to make the
correct decision and prioritize people’s safety. Stimulus checks were a good initiative to at least slow down the decline of the economy but perhaps the government should provide more assistance to the businesses in need to keep them on their feet until quarantine ends. “I understand the stress, both economically and socially that this quarantine has on families,” senior Ty Almedia said. “But if we want to prioritze the safety of vulnerable people like our grandparents we have to keep going.” Recently, it has become more common to see anti-quarantine protests of people who want the country to be open again. As to be expected, whenever one of these protests happens, the number of new cases in the areas where it happens spikes, such as in Kentucky, where governor Andy Beshear announced 273 cases had emerged post-protest, the highest spike at the time. Protesting itself is
not the problem , though, and many of these protestors have just cause, wanting to go back to work. What causes these spikes is that many protestors don’t follow appropriate guidelines, gathering very clustered together without masks and not washing their hands after being near others. Since it is the people’s right to protest, the government could at least help them to protest in a way that minimizes danger to them and the people around them. On the larger scale, all the actions taken by the government to help contain the virus and slow its spread have been done much too late, rendering them ineffective, as evidenced by America now leading the world in the number of publicly confirmed cases. The most logical course of action now is to stay quarantined and follow all safety precautions. This is not only to protect us but the people around us as well. h
