To Stay Alive, Think Like a Virus

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this pandemic is not over. You may have been led to believe otherwise with the opening of restaurants, massive protests in the streets, people without masks, and the advent of Trump rallies. Yet, the Covid-19 virus does not listen, care about, or obey our wishes. It thinks like a virus, and to stay alive or avoid another massive shutdown, we need to do the same.

As of June 13th, 23 states had their number of coronavirus cases actually increase in the last two weeks — including California, Texas, and Florida. That means that more than half the population of the U.S. will likely face another massive quarantine unless something unexpected changes soon. Previously, author Tomas Pueyo warned of this possibility in his Medium posted article, “The Hammer and the Dance.”

So where are we now, and what can we do about it? Well, depending on where you live, we’ve been “dancing” for a couple of weeks or a month. Not enough people are social distancing, washing hands, wearing masks, or avoiding crowds — so the virus is on the rise. Soon, predictably, we will face the “hammer” of greater restrictions — or face greater death tolls. Our pretending, denying, or wishing the virus away will not suddenly convince this pandemic to, as Trump once said, “Magically disappear.”