From: Gail and Tony Plattner
Columbus
I recently watched the news on public television. There was an interview with an economist speaking about the virus. He repeated information that I remember hearing at the beginning of the pandemic that 20% of the population will get the virus and 1% of those people become gravely ill. The remaining 80% of the population are unaffected by the virus.
He then spoke about the economy and how the 80% should be able to return to work while the susceptible 20% should remain in quarantine. He said that if the 80% would wear masks and continue to social distance that the economy could safely reopen.
This got me to thinking about our society here in the U.S. of A. Every time I go out to the store, the hardware store or other stores, maybe half the people I see are wearing a mask. I’ve heard those who refuse to wear a mask say they will not give up their freedom. This comment makes me think of the sacrifices that people made while enduring WWII.
There was food rationing; people grew victory gardens. There was gasoline rationing. People on the coasts, kept their windows covered at night so that the lights in their houses did not show in case enemy airplanes were flying in U.S. airspace. And of course, let us not forget the ultimate sacrifices which were made by the young men and women who went to war to defend the freedoms that we enjoy today.
And these and many more sacrifices were done willingly for the collective good. And ironically, it is mostly these very people who are vulnerable to the virus now.
In a society, sometimes individuality must be sacrificed for the good of all. This is one of those times. Be a good citizen and wear your mask for the good of all. And let’s get everyone working again and the gears of the economy turning.
