‘We have given up on defeating the pandemic:’ Readers grapple with the country’s reopening

Claire Abramoff, 33, Philadelphia: Dear America: I want to give up. As an emergency medicine physician in an urban trauma center, my career has not done much to help me maintain my innate optimism. But I’ve always had the hope that if I continue to encourage people to lead healthier lives, maybe I’ll make a difference, even if it was only one patient who listened to me. And normally, that’s enough to keep me going.

Covid-19, though, has destroyed my hope and optimism for our country. We have, it seems, given up on defeating the pandemic. Even if one person listens to me about wearing a mask and maintaining social distance, it’s moot if others don’t care enough to do the same. Too many, including some of our leaders, don’t seem to care about the deaths of more than 140,000 Americans.

I keep trying to emphasize the fact that our time at home did nothing to change the virus. It is still there, completely unchanged and ready to infect vast swaths of Americans. But when I drive home from my shifts, I see people out and about as though everything is completely normal. Some people are wearing masks; many are not. Some people are distancing; many are not. Some of my own family have stopped listening to me.

So why do I keep going to work? Really, what is the point? I feel I am risking myself for a country that just doesn’t care. But, I am not a quitter. It is not in me to give up and to walk away. So, I’ll continue to show up to my shifts. I’ll be there for you when you come in, gasping for breath, febrile, hanging on by a thread. I don’t know why, but I will.

So please, consider wearing a mask. Consider safe outdoor activities. Continue Zoom happy hours. I know that many of you will not listen to me, but maybe one person will. And I guess that still has to count for something.

S.R. Clark, 21, Columbia, S.C.: I work in a restaurant in Columbia, which has high numbers of coronavirus cases. It’s crazy here. I know several restaurants where someone has tested positive. At least six people in my restaurant have had a friend or roommate test positive. I get really stressed thinking about what could happen if I get it. Going into work is a risk, and it gets especially annoying when the customers seem to not care about the pandemic. I’ve had to coerce customers to wear a mask literally for just a few minutes before they eat. I’ve talked to multiple customers and co-workers who have the mentality that if they get it, they get it, so be it and don’t try to stop the spread. My family and many of my friends are still going on vacation, going to big parties, etc. It’s sad to watch.

Kevin Otway, 41, Miami: I have been furloughed since mid-March. I work for a small cruise ship company. I have been keeping isolated, and I have been collecting unemployment. My employer has maintained regular contact, providing updates on plans to return to operations. I still have health benefits from my employer. Many of us were planning to return to our boats in late June or early July, before federal unemployment insurance would expire. But now that covid-19 appears to be on the upswing again, everything has been pushed tentatively to sometime in late August.

I did all that I could. I did my part to help flatten the curve. I feel as if the efforts I have made (along with others) were not honored by a selfish few who have squandered our hard-earned gains. I feel that I am being forced to endure more and at the cost of possibly earning less. It’s as if I am being punished for my good behavior. I had hoped that we’d succeed at bringing our numbers down to about zero, akin to what other countries had done, so that a return to work would not result in another closure, as now seems likely. And, without a safety net, I wonder if I should have taken to sleeping in my car to save more than I had.

Rick Beechy, 53, Medina, Ohio: I’ve owned a day care in Ohio for 13 years. I barely managed to survive the 2008 housing crisis by going into significant personal debt and by going without a paycheck for years. My business was five months old when the crisis hit. I was so scared of failure, bankruptcy and hurting my family that I couldn’t sleep, and I drowned my worries in cheeseburgers and fries. I think I put on 50 pounds in three years. I took on more credit card debt, and I paid more dollars of interest on that debt than you can ever imagine. But I made it. I worked hard, I persevered, and 2019 was our best year ever.

Then covid-19 came along and, simply put, it will destroy me and my business if Gov. Mike DeWine (R) does not allow us to go back to full capacity by Sept. 1.

‘I want my children to go back to school, but I fear for them if they do.’

Nancy Collins, 35, Fredericksburg: I work in two different elementary schools. My county has come up with a hybrid plan where parents can decide whether to keep their children home for 100 percent virtual learning or send them to school two days a week.

Our school board, administration and superintendent are doing their best. But it’s not enough.

Teachers are worried about our kids. We know that our students rely on the structure and support of schools; we know that their families have valid fears about not being able to go to work if their children aren’t in school full time.

At the same time, teachers are worried about their own health, as well as the health of their elderly and/or medically fragile family members.

A representative of the local affiliate for the National Education Association just posted a reminder that if you’re a member, you’re entitled to participate in the attorney referral program, and that they can assist with creating or updating a will.

Brad Nemetski, 41, Englewood, N.J.: We have terrified our young, shutting down schools and camps, forcing them to stay home and cover their faces, and for what? For a disease that, by and large, is not as dangerous to the young. We have asked our children to sacrifice a tremendous amount to save those who are vulnerable. What happened to sacrificing for the young instead of sacrificing the young? For those who are at risk, please stay home, stay safe, but stop telling 10-year-olds that they can’t see their friends, stop yelling at teenagers at the beach, and please recognize that millions of our youths have given up a part of their childhoods, something that should be treasured, for your safety.

Pamela Whaley, 50, Grand Forks, N.D.: I am a mother and a nurse. One of my children has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Another gets sick easily, but we don’t have a diagnosis.

I need to work, and they need to be in school. They need the normalcy and social interaction that a traditional public school provides. My special needs child is a mostly functional adult because of the services he received. I was able to go to nursing school because all of my middle school children were in school while I was studying.

That being said, I have watched the infection rates in my home state of North Dakota increase. Schools cannot be made safe in the current environment.

I want my children to go back to school but I fear for them if they do.

Read more:

Joe Garcia: Inside San Quentin prison, you sit and wait until covid-19 comes for you

The Post’s View: It may never be needed. But let’s think about how vaccine makers might expose volunteers to the virus.

Whitney Ellenby: I put off explaining death to my autistic son. Covid-19 convinced me I couldn’t wait any longer.

Lori Gottlieb: The surprising intimacy of online therapy sessions during the pandemic

We are interested in hearing about how the struggle to reopen amid the pandemic is affecting people’s lives. Please tell us yours.

Source:WP