Editorial: Seriously, just stay home
Apparently staying home is one of the hardest concepts for the American people to understand.
This simple solution could save hundreds if not thousands of lives in the United States, yet there are still people shopping or going out to eat. But why, when we’ve learned we can stop the spread of COVID-19 by social distancing and avoiding others?
The truth is, Americans can be selfish people.
We could all help to prevent spreading, but as people continued to live their lives normally we’re going to see more deaths than we would have if people just stayed home.
Being stuck in your house isn’t ideal, but it’s a reality many of us now face. Now is the time to do the things you “never have time for.”
You can cook homemade meals that take half the day, you probably don’t have anything else better to do. Or you can pick up a new hobby like crotcheting or knitting.
Most people probably have a puzzle lying around somewhere, or have crafting supplies. Plus, the internet exists, so content including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and an unlimited amount of free content from YouTube is available at our fingers.
There are so many companies giving free subscriptions right now and you should take advantage of them and STAY HOME. Be resourceful in this time, because the longer people refuse to stay in and spread COVID-19, the longer we all have to be stuck inside our homes.
If your need to go out and shop for something non-essential right now is overwhelming, stop and think of the members in your community. The elderly, immunocompromised, pregnant women and people with pre-existing health conditions who are the most at risk.
Your elderly neighbor down the street won’t survive if they get it. Your dad with asthma likely won’t survive. What about your friend that doesn’t know of about a health condition he has that decreases his chances of survival if he contracts COVID-19?
Obviously you should worry about these groups of people. But everyone is at risk here. Otherwise healthy people have been gravely affected by this new virus that some people though was “just a little worse than the flu.”
It’s clearly much more serious than that, as we all can tell with major closures and cancellations across the country and world.
So use common sense. Read your news from trusted news organizations. Find things to do at home to pass the time. Help businesses and restaurants if you can afford it.
But most importantly, stay home.
