WE WENT TO THE PARK TODAY AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE TRIED TO KILL US

We are still in the grip of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; however, people are now getting out and about. Oregon took the precautionary steps of issuing a stay at home order and closing all non-essential businesses. Now we are cautiously, supposedly, emerging in a planned Phase 1 opening. But there are signs of danger.

Today is a warm, sunny spring Sunday, and here in Portland, Oregon that means people get out. We needed a walk, so we drove to a nearby park, put on our masks, and started down a paved path. There were hundreds of people in the park, many walking, biking, lounging on blankets on the grass, and walking dogs. We estimated that more than 95% of these people were not wearing masks. I think it is OK for people on blankets that are spaced more than 6 ft apart to be mask-less, but it is not OK for people to be walking and cycling and jogging on the paths when there are a lot of other people using them. People like us. 

People like us are the most vulnerable during this pandemic because we are older than 60, and/or have underlying health issues, such as asthma. We were wearing our home-made cotton masks, which protect those around us more than they protect us. We did not feel safe walking in the park on a beautiful day, so we left for the safety of our home. 

Here is the bottom line for me: people need to be more thoughtful and considerate of others. It’s fine if you want to walk around without a mask because you know you will never get this virus (fool that you are); but why do you have so little regard for those around you? You might feel fine, but you can be a carrier of the virus, and you are spewing it in the air space the rest of us share with you. You’re killing us. 

The response in the United States to the novel coronavirus has been dismal and inadequate, which is why we are number one in the world in number of cases and deaths from COvID-19, the disease caused by this virus. Many of the experts keep telling us that we are actually in the early stages of this pandemic, that the virus is not going away any time soon, that we will not have a vaccine any time soon, and that there will be, and already are, increasing outbreaks as we “open up.” We shouldn’t drop our guard, especially now, and we should look out for everyone in our communities. If we had a national strategy that was based on building herd immunity to the virus, and we did it in an intelligent and highly organized way, things would be different. But we don’t have any such strategy. 

Getting ill with COVID-19 is not a walk in the park, but a walk in the park can result in being sick or dying from COVID-19. 

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