Table of Contents
Italy has become the poster child for COVID-19 in the West for all the wrong reasons. Outside of China, it has the world’s highest number of infections. Horror stories are emerging of a health system cracking under the strain and the whole country is under unprecedented lockdown.
There are many possible reasons why Italy is suffering: a badly prepared health system, a disproportionately aged population and high rates of smoking among them. But one big problem, warns an anonymous Italian doctor, is complacency and selfishness.
Until we’re past the peak, the only solution is to impose social restrictions.
And if your government is hesitating, these restrictions are up to you. Stay put. Do not travel. Cancel that family reunion, the promotion party and the big night out. This really sucks, but these are special times. Don’t take risks. Do not go to places where you are more than 20 people in the same room. It’s not safe and it’s not worth it.
It is claimed that not just governmental, but social complacency played a large part in creating Italy’s crisis. Even as the pandemic broke out, one Italian blogger says, “Italians being irresponsible little shits[…]ignored the warnings and rules to stay at home which resulted in the virus spread to skyrocket”.
Then there’s the sort of social media virtue-signalling which might give some folk the warm fuzzies, but is appallingly stupid in the midst of a pandemic.
The doctor says that many young people were too blithe about the disease, assuming that even if they did catch it, it wouldn’t be such a big deal.
Fatality is the wrong yardstick. Catching the virus can mess up your life in many, many more ways than just straight-up killing you. “We are all young”—okay. “Even if we get the bug, we will survive”—fantastic. How about needing four months of physical therapy before you even feel human again. Or getting scar tissue in your lungs and having your activity level restricted for the rest of your life. Not to mention having every chance of catching another bug in hospital, while you’re being treated or waiting to get checked with an immune system distracted even by the false alarm of an ordinary flu. No travel for leisure or business is worth this risk.
Now, odds are, you might catch coronavirus and might not even get symptoms. Great. Good for you. Very bad for everyone else, from your own grandparents to the random older person who got on the subway train a stop or two after you got off. You’re fine, you’re barely even sneezing or coughing, but you’re walking around and you kill a couple of old ladies without even knowing it. Is that fair? You tell me.
This is true of even the seasonal flu, of course. But it’s reasonable advice, especially when there’s still so much we don’t know.
While it’s important not to panic, for the time being we are all in this. We don’t have to wait for or rely on governments who just love big sticks and we don’t have to lose our heads. Just take some simple precautions.
We all have a duty to stay put, except for very special reasons, like, you go to work because you work in healthcare, or you have to save a life and bring someone to hospital, or go out to shop for food so you can survive. But when we get to this stage of a pandemic, it’s really important not to spread the bug[…]Take responsibility. For all but essential movement, restrict yourself.
It’s the civic and moral duty of every person, everywhere, to take part in the global effort to reduce this threat to humanity. To postpone any movement or travel that are not vitally essential, and to spread the disease as little as possible. Have your fun in June, July and August when this—hopefully—is over. Stay safe. Good luck.
Some of this may prove, in hindsight, to be scaremongering. But it may not. In the meantime, some simple and pretty painless precautions will go a long way.
And stop panic-buying.
If you enjoyed this BFD article please consider sharing it with your friends.
