Don't get me wrong: I don't simply mean that I'm hopeful the U.S. will still exist after herd immunity is achieved. That has never seriously been in question, just as it's not in question that the Earth will continue to exist long after Homo sapiens has left the scene.
No, I mean that I'm mildly hopeful that epidemiologists' and public health experts' worst fears about rescinding stay-at-home orders won't be realized. I'm mildly hopeful that infection and death tolls won't be as high as projected.
Several weeks ago I read an intriguing piece (sorry, reference lost to the mists of time) wondering why, if Florida was full of beachgoers oblivious to the need for physical distancing, its hospitalization and death rates weren't higher. (Infection rates can appear artificially low if you simply refrain from testing — a tactic our domestic Dear Leader would love for us to embrace — but you can't hide hospitalizations or deaths as easily.)
It turned out that actual Florida residents were better at following stay-at-home guidelines, promulgated by local officials rather than the hands-off governor Ron Desantis, than those infamous beachgoers, who unsurprisingly were largely from out of state. In fact, Floridians had somewhat higher rates of staying at home than residents of other states.
This, along with anecdotal evidence from other states in news articles, suggests that much of the public has taken heed of public health guidance intended to slow the spread of infection. We won't disregard that guidance just because a governor, or even the domestic Dear Leader, declares the economy reopened.
To be sure, most of us have gone a little stir-crazy while remaining largely at home for a couple of months. There will therefore be some understandable relaxation of our vigilance, and there will likely be increases in the rate of infection as a result. That's regrettable.
However, if the majority of us don't resume life as it was in January or February — if we keep physically distancing, and wearing masks when physically distancing isn't possible, and doing all the other things we've learned will reduce the speed of the virus' spread — the worst fears of epidemiologists might well be avoided. The worst projections might well not be fulfilled.
There will remain some percentage of us who won't follow best practices for philosophical reasons: they don't believe SARS-CoV-2 is real, or they think the threat it poses has been wildly exaggerated. And maybe for them, especially if they live in areas of low population density, the novel coronavirus might as well not exist for all the health effect it has had or will have. Even if they come into contact with others who are infected, they might not contract CoViD-19, or might not suffer seriously from it: there is such a thing as getting lucky.
For those who view SARS-CoV-2 as a serious threat, understand that there's only so much you can do to keep other people from becoming infected, or from infecting others. In particular, you're not the mask- or physical-distancing police. Refrain from telling off strangers who aren't following what you think are best practices. You don't know their situation and in any case, your best bet is simply to keep well clear of them any way you can. And those feelings of resentment you get for having to inconvenience yourself when they're clearly the ones in the wrong? Get over them. Self-righteousness is a bad habit. Anyway, again, you do not know what difficulties they have in their lives.
On the flip side, if you don't think the threat of SARS-CoV-2 is serious (or even real), how about cutting the rest of us a break? It won't kill you to keep your distance from others who are wearing masks even if you think they're fools. And just as airlines can keep you off their planes if you won't comply with security measures (however pointless some of the measures might be), restaurants and stores can keep you out if you won't comply with best antiviral practices (however pointless some of those measures might seem). Follow their rules and be grateful they're open. Remember, too, that you might be wrong: the viral threat might be real.
Let's figure out a modus vivendi, shall we? Let's treat each other with a modicum of respect and humility in these weird times.
