People are rejoicing as hair salons, craft stores, and shopping malls slowly begin to re-open across the United States. But is it too early? 

Even though cases may be decreasing in our state, allowing hordes of people to shop and interact with others could definitely cause a major increase. And even if cases do become almost non-existent in the next few months (which they currently aren’t), the virus could come back in the winter or even next year. It’s not far-fetched, as both the Spanish Flu and the 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu had second waves that were even more devastating than the first.

Why would a second wave of the coronavirus be even deadlier? According to CDC Director Robert Redfield, coronavirus is likely to re-emerge in the winter, at the very same time as the flu. As both are respiratory diseases, this would basically be a double strain on the respiratory system and our healthcare workers. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands that would likely die.

The sad thing is, even with the strong likelihood of thousands of Americans dying, many still don’t care. They really, really need to get their haircut! Even if that means an immunocompromised individual might die, that’s the sacrifice right? 

Already, almost 100,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus and 328K have died worldwide. We have almost ⅓ of the world’s deaths. That’s absolutely ridiculous and shows that despite being a first-world country, we aren’t taking this seriously. It also proves that if we have a second, more severe wave of the virus, the results are going to be horrifying.

The news lately has been a repeat cycle of re-opening protests then followed by large spikes of the virus. Yet, people continue to protest. It’s obvious that many of these individuals haven’t been personally affected by the virus or maybe they’d actually be able to comprehend the absolute severity of it all. Now, I do understand why they want the states to re-open, but I don’t think they’re completely considering the factor of people’s lives. 

It’s true that many small businesses are going bankrupt and being forced to close. People can’t work and provide for their families. But this pandemic is nothing in comparison to Anne Frank hiding in an attic for two years (Yes, actual signs I have seen in protest pictures).

People are coming for the neck’s of governors everywhere, but don’t understand how difficult these decisions are. If the states are closed, then the governor’s aren’t as responsible for those that are dying. But when they do open the states and suddenly the death rates spike, who are the people going to blame? 

No matter what, these political figures are at fault in the eyes of the public. With this pandemic, I would say that I’m maintaining an outside perspective of sorts. I do believe that Trump has handled this terribly by encouraging un-approved medicines, refusing to wear a mask and setting a horrible example for his followers. I can see why people want the states to re-open and I can see why others would want them to remain closed. 

Honestly, with already 95,000 people dead in our country, you would think people would see the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing. But, the people are going to follow the example that their president sets, even if that means people will continue to die.