Why We Might Lose The War on Corona

SOCIETY | HEALTH

Do we have what it takes to unite for everyone’s health?

If we’d been fighting World War II today, the Allies might have lost. At least that’s what the current battle against Covid-19 suggests to me.

Here’s why I think so. Fighting a war against tyranny on a global scale required a sense of shared commitment to the collective good over many years.

Right now, that is conspicuously absent, especially among those who believe their individual right to not wear a mask is more important than the need to keep everyone safe. It’s only been a few months, and some people are chafing at the restrictions, even though they’re proven to reduce the threat of illness.

Where I live, on a small island in the Caribbean, it’s different. While there are things we get riled up about, something that’s good for most people is not one of them. Of course, we have our share of idiots, but that’s relatively small in this case compared with some other countries I could name.

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The number of coronavirus cases here has been pretty low, and there’s been no community spread, even though it’s a major tourist destination.

Our PM, a woman, says one of the reasons for this is that people know she cares. She is one of us and is following the same guidelines she’s setting out for us. She’s had a plan, and she’s kept us informed. So by and large, people have complied.

We wear masks where we’re supposed to, we sanitize when we’re supposed to. We’re extra careful. And we pay attention to the rules even when nobody’s watching.

The other day, I met a group of friends for the first time in six months. In our WhatsApp chat, one member asked if the person who was hosting had thermometers and hand sanitizer available. She was only half-joking, but the answer was yes.

When we met, we eschewed the customary hug and moved to seats carefully placed so we could be six feet apart. We avoided getting too close to each other when getting food or drink, and we did an elbow knock as we parted.

We take it seriously. Many of us have elderly parents and we don’t want to take a risk. When I went home I completed the now customary decontamination: I left my outdoor shoes by the door, sprayed my hands, then had a shower.

So it’s a wonder to us when we see people abroad refusing to mask up and protesting when officials insist that they do. For them, the freedom to go maskless is more important than the fact that Black people are dying — being killed — every day. Truly, it’s incomprehensible.

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I know that many of us take this seriously, but the ones who don’t put everyone in danger. And that’s why this is a war that we just might lose.

© Sharon Hurley Hall, September 2020.

Sharon Hurley Hall is an anti-racism writer, a professional B2B writer and blogger, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast.