I was putting our window decorations on our front door and it happened to be the time that our groceries were being delivered. The delivery person came up and he wasn’t wearing a mask, it was hanging down his neck. When I asked him if he could please put his mask on, he did, but his excuse was, “I don’t see people this close usually”. I explained to him, that he’s handling people’s food, and being around other people’s food, unmasked, is putting them at risk, as long as he is handling other people’s food, he needs to be wearing a mask. He apologized, but it was already too late. Hopefully his next customers he takes this into account. With the cases only continuing to be on the rise and getting worse than they were back in April, more precautions should be being taken and taken more seriously. Unfortunately, less precautions are.
Trump supporters aren’t the only people out there that aren’t taking proper precautions. Those that are expected to know better, who claim they listen to science...only mask when required to, in public places. In their personal life, they’re not abiding by the guidelines. They are still hanging out with groups of people, that live outside their household (which is fine, if everyone masks and keeps a distance, (even while outside)), but these people are not doing that. Instead, they’re assuming none of them are asymptomatic, and putting not only themselves at risk, but they’re putting other people’s lives at risk, because their entertainment and their child(ren)’ s social skills, are taking priority, over the protection of their loved ones and containing the virus. The people I see doing this are ones that have always been healthy and are at even *more* at risk of being an asymptomatic spreader, yet, they continue to do this even in the fall, with cases rapidly rising, and more…they’re sending their kids to school in person.
The most dangerous issue with this, are those that don’t believe in COVID and think it’s just a flu, these parents will likely send their kids to school even if they are symptomatic… like most parents do with the flu. Then, there are those that are more worried about virtual schooling causing issues with their child(ren)’s socializing skills than worried about those who die from COVID-19 due to this carelessness and irresponsibility. I’m sorry, but other people’s lives are way more important than your child(ren)’s socialization skills.
The *only* acceptable reason children should be going to school or daycare in person…is if their parents have no other options due to working, or children are dependent on special needs education teachers and supplies that parents can’t provide at home. Any other child(ren) it’s unnecessary for them to be there. The fact that parents would rather risk the death of family members (or permanent organ damage), because the prospect of their child(ren) having socialization issues (that can be worked through in therapy) is also extremely offensive and ableist to those in your lives who *do* struggle with social skills. It sends the message that having social skill issues is worse than exposing and risking the lives of your loved ones.
If parents have grandparents, or other family members to help watch their child(ren) and help them through virtual schooling, their kid shouldn’t be in school in person right now. Period. Not only do we need to be helping contain the pandemic, we need to protect the children and parents who are less fortunate that have no other options than to put their kids into in person schooling. We need to protect them more, because their families can't take off of work and need to keep working.
Grandparents to the kids, that are going to school in person, aren’t going to want to stop seeing their grandchildren. I don’t blame them, they’re older and could die of anything at any time. They don’t want to be deprived of their grandchildren in their last years. So it’s up to the parents (their children) to protect them. I feel it’s okay to spend time with your parents/grandparents without masks *only* if you are taking strict measures. If you’re only seeing your family and your child is doing school virtually, and you don’t hang out in groups without masking, I’m all for seeing loved ones without masks. But if their family hangs out with groups not masking, and their children are in person school, they should be isolating 2 weeks before seeing parents/grandparents within 6 feet and without masks. Those that are sending their kids to school and then sending them straight into their grandparents’ arms… (when they have a choice, and the resources not to), this is not okay and I will never understand.
It’s known that COVID is most contagious before symptoms even start. For grandchildren too young to make these decisions on their own, why would parents risk their child infecting their grandparents that could quite possibly cause them to die? When that child grows up and learns about this pandemic and why it couldn’t be contained...and they find out that during the largest wave thus far, their parents allowed them to go to school in person, and then allowed them to be around their grandparents, that they loved so dearly? Why would someone want to risk that trauma? I think lack of socialization for a little bit to help save other people’s lives would be a *tad* less traumatic and a lot easier to get through then, unintentionally causing the death of a beloved family member that could have been avoided. Now of course it wouldn’t be the child’s fault…but children blame themselves for things that shouldn’t be their fault all the time, and that’s not something I would want to risk putting my child through if I had one. I understand as someone who doesn’t have kids and isn’t a parent I have “no right to talk about or criticize what other parents are doing”, but when what other parents are doing is putting my life, and my loved ones lives, and many other lives at risk, it absolutely is my right and my business and I am going to speak up.
Those doing this in my family and risking those that I cherish, they’re not just *your* loved ones, other people love them too and putting people’s loved ones at risk…. because you’re prioritizing entertainment and children’s socializing skills, if they bring COVID around them, especially if a death or permanent injury occurs, I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive them. Especially because these people know better and have been advertising this entire time, their lack of consideration all over social media in their photos.
This has been incredibly eye opening about the people I used to really respect and look up to. I used to respect people based on what they accomplished in their lives, but now, I respect people who care about others. I respect those that think about more than just themselves and their immediate family. These are steps that are simple, yet so many refuse to take them.
The longer people continue being careless like this, the longer those of us being careful are not going to be able to visit and hug our families. If everyone had just stuck it out for a few months and wore a mask, we would be able to hug our families by now, but until people stop being so selfish, we are going to remain isolated and some of us were already extremely isolated before this, to begin with. I didn’t think it was possible to feel more isolated until it’s been almost a year I haven’t been able to hug anyone besides the love of my life. I love those hugs dearly, but I also want to hug my parents. I want to hug my in laws, I want to hug my niece and nephew. As long as those living their lives like there isn’t a pandemic, are getting their thrills and their needs met, they don’t seem to care the negative impact they’re making on other people’s lives, for much longer than this ever needed to be.
