Quarantine Continues... (Erykah Foss)

4/27/2020

We are living in unprecedented times that none of us have experienced before. The entire world has been forced to come to terms with COVID-19. With all respect for those affected by the virus, it is time to reevaluate the effectiveness of government-mandated quarantine. After living in this quarantine for the past month, there are some people who are tired of being unemployed, not being able to support their families. This has led to protests in around 20 states. In Washington State, Tyler Miller is a protest organizer who believes that Governor Inslee should not have control over who is allowed to go outside. Although his political views are against their required quarantine, he still believes in taking precautions: "The fact I am protesting does not mean I think it is a good idea to have gatherings, I just believe that the government has no authority to prohibit them."

On the other side, Mary Turner, who works as a head nurse in an intensive care unit in Minnesota, was disappointed when she started hearing about the protests: “These protests here are so discouraging. With no one doing social distancing or wearing masks, and they all say they are outraged. I don't know if this is a problem anywhere else in the world.” If you are interested in reading more about the protests and other people’s opinions on how our country is dealing with corona, I highly recommend this BBC article (which is also where I got the quotes above): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52417610

Here is another interesting (and short) article where two doctors explain why we should go back to normal: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/04/26/doctor_after_doing_
5000_coronavirus_tests_its_similar_to_the_flu_and_quarantine_should_end.html
They believe that “COVID-19 is no more dangerous than a normal seasonal flu and quarantines are not making any difference in preventing its spread.”

So here are my questions for you: Do you agree that people should go back to work or should they continue to stay at home? Are there enough restrictions around quarantine or should there be any at all? Are the government mandates truly driven by accurate scientific evidence? Do you think we should have stopped quarantine a few weeks ago or should we continue through May?

Faith

5/2/2020 07:00:41 pm

This quarantine has been super drawn out, and difficult to deal with. In Idaho, the stay at home order is finally over but many precautions are still being taken. I think that going back to work and returning to normal everyday life is what is best. Personally, I think if the quarantine continued, it would only make the virus worse. In order to really get rid of the virus is to develop "heard immunity" which would occur when 80% of the general population has gotten the virus, and the pathogens cannot be spread as easily because most other people who have already had the virus, making the transmission less easy. This is flawed though, due to the fact no one really knows how long immunity will last after getting the virus.
Another huge reason is that the media has made this virus a huge deal, and has scared people to think that if they got the virus, it could be fatal. It could be fatal, but to an extremely small amount of the population. It is important to keep those who are immune compromised or elderly safe, but the large majority of the population should not be as worried as they are.

Paige

5/3/2020 09:47:44 am

I like how you addressed the media and their influence on the population. It is important to realize the true severity of COVID-19 and how it impacts civilians. I agree and think it is best the home order is over and I'm glad we can (mostly) return to our lives.

Andy Gebhardt

5/3/2020 05:39:58 pm

I agree that the media has made it a big deal but it is also a major respiratory disease that can be worse than the flu, even for a healthy person. As far as the herd logic goes though, most people have not had the disease and so there is no way they can have immunity. Would everyone getting the disease help the situation or hurt more people because of contact with people in high-risk situations?

Alyssa Farnworth

5/3/2020 06:23:52 pm

I liked that you addressed how the media has been affecting everyone and making their distresses worse. This is a little bit off topic but in times like this do you think freedom of press is more or less helpful?

Brax Kauffman

5/3/2020 07:24:00 pm

Do you think that reopening could lead to another spike in the cases? And if so, do you think it would still be worth it to open?

Madicyn

5/3/2020 08:16:08 pm

I’ve read some articles explaining the curve rates and all of the statistics they have been able to figure out. It has been interesting to watch. The scary thing about reopening though, is it can make the case rate and death rate spike back up. Many of our tests are false negatives, about 20%. It’s been crazy.

Kately

5/4/2020 08:20:42 pm

I agree that the very young, elderly, and immunocompromised are most at risk. I would wager that this will become a seasonal illness, not unlike the flu.

Paige Hilton

5/3/2020 09:42:58 am

I believe it is time for people to return to work. However, I feel the return to normalcy should be done with care. With how easily the virus is spread, I feel it would be best for the country as a whole and each individual to proceed with caution as we make our way back to our regular routines.
I am grateful for the quarantine as I feel it has slowed the spread of the virus and has helped people understand the severity of the pandemic. There are many individuals who are taking the home orders way too far, and feel it is their duty to let known their rights. It is important to realize that government and health officials want to help us, not hurt us. They understand more than we do about the pandemic and they want to help the country. It is not as if the restrictions do not apply to them, I am sure they, and everyone, are ready to be done with quarantine and the stress of the pandemic.

Andy Gebhardt

5/3/2020 05:32:24 pm

I agree that going back to work should be done carefully. By sleuthing back into things, no one will be careful and the virus could come back again as a major problem. Do you think because there is no cure that things should change?

Faith

5/3/2020 05:40:32 pm

I think it is a good idea to get back to our normal everyday lives. What is the first thing you'll do when you get out of quarantine?

Alyssa Farnworth

5/3/2020 06:25:15 pm

I agree that we should all go back with caution are there any required steps you feel should be taken as we all start going back to work?

Kately

5/4/2020 08:22:45 pm

Taking the proper precautions is always a good idea, I agree. What steps should be taken, in your opinion?

Andy Gebhardt

5/3/2020 05:37:42 pm

The Coronavirus has had life at a standstill for several months. School is canceled, businesses have shutdown, and people’s lives have been affected all over. I believe that going back to normal life is something that should happen slowly. It is not a good idea for businesses and people to rush back into reopening because that shows no care for the serious situation.
As far as the information from the two doctors, I disagree that it is the exact same as the flue for a couple reasons. One is that there is no cure and we still do not have a lot of hard medical evidence on it. The flu has a death toll but it also is easier to control with flu shots and only having seasonal times it is around. Suggesting that Coronavirus is simply another disease is wrong because it has spread across the world so fast. It is a serious respiratory disease that can be debilitating and even deadly for some portions of the population.
Personally, I believe the quarantine has been mostly successful and cases are decreasing. I think the multi-stage reopening is a good idea because it will give people time to recover from the quarantine and slowly begin to go back to normal.

Faith

5/3/2020 05:41:57 pm

I agree that the quarantine has been very successful, but the reopening stages will be the best way for us to return to normal. What is the first thing you will do when we get out of quarantine?

Paige

5/3/2020 06:07:31 pm

It is definitely better that we reopen in stages due to the severity of the virus. I like how you explained that COVID-19 is not like the flu and we should proceed slowly and with caution as we return to our lives. How do you feel about the quarantine protests?

Tori Weir

5/3/2020 06:49:34 pm

Being quarantined for a long time has its affects negatively and positively on everyone. When do you think everything will go back to normal completely?

Alyssa Farnworth

5/3/2020 06:21:12 pm

I feel that the best thing we could do to end the quarantine would to be to do it slowly. I am also not completely sure that now is the time to do it. If everyone starts returning to their normal lives too early there could be more cases and more deaths that might just put us back to where we started. I think that for those who have actually been quarantined it has been effective and helpful, especially for those who are immune compromised.
Personally, I’m ready for the quarantine to end as I miss my friends and teachers and everyone that I normally see on a daily basis, but I understand the quarantines purpose. My dad does not have a spleen (the doctors warned to be careful) so my family has taken care to only see a few people and stay in the house as much as possible. My dad still goes to work but so far we have all remained healthy. I want it to remain that way so if staying home is what has to be done then that’s what needs to be done

Tori Weir

5/3/2020 06:44:45 pm

I also believe that it is smart to end quarantine slowly. There is always a risk for people to go out and possibly be affected or affecting someone. What should people think about when they go back to their daily lives?

Erykah

5/3/2020 06:58:02 pm

I'm glad that your family is in good health. I am also ready for the quarantine to end, and it would be ideal to slowly go back to normal. I hope we have a mostly normal summer. Do you think people have changed their mannerisms since the virus affected the U.S.?

Aiden

5/3/2020 09:01:36 pm

I agree that it needs to be done very slowly otherwise we will have to return to quarantine immediately.

Tori Weir

5/3/2020 06:40:53 pm

I do believe that people should go back to work, but should still take caution on what they do and be careful. I think everyone understands how severe the virus was and would hopefully be smart about their future choices in their workplace. As for the restrictions around quarantine, I believe it is up to each person to take responsibility and know that their actions can affect others. It is good to have restrictions because it tells people that the virus should not be taken lightly. Personally, the quarantine has been beneficial to lowering and slowing down the cases, but I think its time for it to end and making sure we are still considering the possibility of affecting someone.

Erykah

5/3/2020 06:51:46 pm

I agree that everyone should still take precautions, like washing their hands. It's important that we be especially cautious around children and the elderly, but most people should be allowed to go back into the workforce.

Brax Kauffman

5/3/2020 07:25:07 pm

I think that taking away the restrictions but to keep following certain rules to combat the virus would be the right move for us to do at this time as well.

Brax Kauffman

5/3/2020 07:21:26 pm

I believe that it is highly dependent on the area and how many people are infected and oversell just how big of a problem it is in those areas. As far as the places that have little to no problems with it, I think that they should begin to loosen the restrictions that have been made but in an order that allows for them to comfortably make the change back just in case there is another spike in the cases. As far as the areas where it is a severe problem, I believe it is a great idea to continue to social distance and follow the guidelines, professionals have recommended regarding the current state. However, there are some regulations that could be seen as absurd in the fact that the government has laws against them.

Madicyn

5/3/2020 08:13:41 pm

I also agree that it should depend on the places and how it is being affected. People and society need to start working on the uphill climb again!

Aiden

5/3/2020 09:04:22 pm

We need to be very slow just loosening the restrictions barely at a time as to not kill any more people.

Madicyn

5/3/2020 08:10:47 pm

I think that the government should begin to let things go back to normal as soon as possible. Our economy is falling. I think it should depend on where it is though and how the virus has affected each specific place. People all over are sick of staying home, not working, and many of us are feeling like we’re going insane. I think it is a good idea to follow guidelines that the professionals have been giving us and just to be safe continue what we can in everyday life to help stop the spread. Even if it requires wearing masks at work, or social distancing. It’s a difficult situation that no one alive now has ever gone through. It really is history we’re living in.

Sabrina

5/3/2020 11:54:17 pm

I agree that normal should come soon. The way that this is negatively affecting people all over then country is starting to be worse than the virus. I'm glad I don't have to be making the decisions because the pros and cons are very serious.

Aiden

5/3/2020 08:59:53 pm

I think that the way Idaho is taking slow progressive steps towards normal. Only the essential jobs should start to return because we don’t want to start another surge. The government mandate is absolutely put through scientific research. The only reason we needed to quarantine at all to not have so many deaths. People were bound to spread it and contract it however we don’t have enough ICU beds in the country to handle all the critical patients. So with self quarantining we can effectively slow the spread and let the virus ease in. Normal will not be normal for awhile after we are back to work and school until we can get a vaccination and gain control over the symptoms.

Sabrina

5/3/2020 11:52:22 pm

In the meantime, how do we help those that lost jobs and can't get back on their feet because of the lockdown? Eventually things will be back to normal but the longer we wait, the less likely "normal" is.

Sabrina

5/3/2020 11:51:15 pm

The idea of not enough beds in a hospital and not enough nurses to help is quite frightening. A surge of sicknesses would definitely tire people out and cause mass panic. However, there is a another source of mass panic right now with the economic struggle going on. I know multiple people personally that are struggling to find a job or earn money because of the stay at home order. If we could just practice healthy habits and work to stay clean, we could probably slow the curve. However, the odds of persuading a large population to do that is very unlikely. The stay at home order was the only way to convince people that this is serous. At this point, I think the quarantine is doing more bad than good. It is heartless to say the the price is more people dying and would be better than the economic downfall, but that is how I see it.

Kately

5/4/2020 08:16:59 pm

The quarantine has gone on long enough, in my opinion. If we go any longer those who cannot work due to the stay-home order might not be able to get back on their feet quick enough. Not only is the economy going to fall, but so will herd immunity. Health is a very important thing, but in order to live our normal lives again, we should take the proper precautions and wash our hands and avoid touching our faces. We should do that anyway, pandemic or not.

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