It’s the nightmare we may never wake up from if people don’t get wise

Putting our wants before the good of everyone will push the end of this pandemic further out of reach

By Carlos Moctezuma

Web Design Master

More than 225,000 people have died due to COVID-19 in the US. OVER 446 have died here in our own county. Since March, many people have done what they could to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and by making the hard choice not to participate in the events and get togethers most people miss so much. Counties have enforced laws to help slow the spread, yet we are facing a second wave of the pandemic.

“I always have a mask with me at all times and hand sanitizer before I enter and exit out of a public place,” said Heidi Villa, a senior at Sanger High.

Schools, along with communities across the globe, have seen many public events being canceled because of the risk they impose. Concerts, dances, sporting events, competitions, music festivals, and the list can continue. Hosting a large gathering is not something anyone should attempt at this time due to the fact that it might turn into a super spreader and inadvertently infect people who didn’t even attend the event. Large gatherings are dangerous and no one should feel comfortable imposing this kind of risk on the community.

“We know that large gatherings cause spikes in whatever areas they occur. This puts people at risk, specifically the elderly and those with disabilities,” explained Logan Miller, a senior at Sanger High.

Not only have many public events been put on pause but many holidays as well. Halloween was essentially “canceled” this year and a lot of events that many people look forward to have been postponed.

“With this whole pandemic, I feel heartbroken for having things canceled especially this being our senior year,” continued Villa.

Fresno County has placed laws in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The problem isn’t with the laws, it’s with the people who ignore them. In places that enforce masks, people ignore them. They don’t care because “they can’t breath” yet people who work have to wear one for hours.

“I think it’s very selfish. I wear one to keep customers safe. They should at least have the decency to wear one for my safety as well,” said Brianda Pereda, senior at Sanger High.

Health organizations such as the Center of Disease Control (CDC) have told the public to not hold public events. Our own mayor, Frank Gonzalez, tells us that there are restrictions for how many people can attend a gathering and an event with 50+ people is highly advised against.

“It’s against the guidelines, so no,” said Gonzalez.

People become selfish and discard any common sense to help the good of the public when emotions are running high. Instead of trying to help, we see public events being held in the middle of a pandemic. Instead of doing their part, some people are prolonging the chance of returning to a more normal state and making it impossible for us to wake up from this nightmare. People not following guidelines are only making it more difficult to see any results from the efforts many are making to slow the spread.

“Step into the shoes of someone who’s lost parents, grandparents, they’re hurting. Those are things these people aren’t even considering and it’s unfair because a bunch of people wanna have a couple hours of fun,” said David Rodriguez, a senior at Sanger High.

People would rather stay trapped in a hole than to learn how to climb out. With justifications such as “spreading positivity in dark times,” we only dig the hole deeper.

“Think about everyone who’s lost someone to COVID. Think about those who could be affected by it. There’s so many other ways you could, ‘try and spread positivity,’ said Rodriguez.

Right now is no time to be hosting any large gatherings especially those that have 150+ people attending. We need to stop being selfish and realize that if we want to come back to school, we have to sacrifice our own enjoyment to achieve this goal and make a healthier community for everyone.