One reason why COVID cases keep rising in the U.S.
We already know that inaction on COVID by Donald Trump and Republican governors and members of Congress has made the pandemic much worse than it had to be. The United States has just over four percent of the world’s population, yet it has 20 percent of the world’s Coronavirus deaths and an even larger portion of global Coronavirus cases. Moreover, the number of cases is going up, not down. Indeed, Trump has been caught lying to the American people about the dangers of COVID, knowing it was far worse just as he was telling us that the pandemic would soon disappear. Trump has also set a dismal example by refusing to wear a mask for the longest time (indeed mocking his political rival, Joe Biden, for wearing “the biggest mask” in public), holding mask-free COVID “super spreader” events like the recent White House reception for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and failing to undertake contact tracing even after numerous Trump administration members and Republican U.S. Senators at such events contracted COVID. To top it off, Trump himself then came down with COVID, along with his wife Melania and son Barron.
Such failures by Trump and his Republican enablers are especially harmful given what we can observe about human behavior during the pandemic. Whether intentionally or by neglect, many Americans, and others around the world, are not dutifully following basic COVID precautions, such as social distancing, proper mask wearing, and frequent hand washing.
Some behaviors that we have seen or which have been reported include:
— Folks forgetting to keep their distance, for example, holding doors open to let others pass by closely instead of stepping out of the way, or huddling together in work environments, such as utility workers repairing a water pipe or electrical wire. This may be the result of years of conditioning in good manners in the first example, and traditional work practices in the second example.
–Extended family members, friends or strangers who get together in person for weddings, significant birthday parties, motorcycle rallies or other social events, because it has been customary to do so. For a young couple who planned their wedding a year in advance, the idea of a “Zoom wedding” devoid of people in the room, or delaying the wedding for a year or more, might be too unappealing.
–People who wear their masks in a neglectful way, such as below the nose or even all the way down at the chin, because they never wore masks before and such masks are uncomfortable. Here’s an example inside an airplane:
https://twitter.com/PeopleWatchingU/status/1317517368860372993
–People who refuse to take proper precautions, because they are cheaters, rule breakers, or ones who (perhaps hearing conspiracy theories forwarded by Republicans on Fox News) question sound science. Examples abound, such as this one involving a Montana Sheriff:
Tell that to Sheriff Goonkin and his officers in #GallatinCounty #Montana who refuse to not only mask up themselves, but also enforce our county mask mandate. @nycjim pic.twitter.com/EAHmXy5FFW
— AndreZollars (@AndreZollars) October 17, 2020
In short, the precautions necessary to stop the spread of COVID in the absence of an effective worldwide vaccine may be the antithesis of human nature. Obviously, humans are social creatures who are used to close physical contact, close proximity, and sharing of air space. The term “social distancing” even sounds like an oxymoron.
This is why it is crucial for government leaders to set and enforce strict standards, and to set a good example for others with their own behavior. As noted above, Donald Trump and Republican politicians have failed on both counts. As Joe Biden stated regarding COVID during his recent town hall event, “it’s the president’s responsibility to lead.” Trump’s inability or unwillingness to provide such leadership in the face of the worst crisis in most of our lifetimes disqualifies him, and his Republican enablers, from any more terms in office.
Photo by Becker1999 (Paul and Cathy). https://is.gd/FNAX3O
