Opinion: We can’t afford not to care
Editor’s note: The numbers used in this article may be lower than they are currently. They were accurate at the time this column was written.
First, I saw it in Seattle while on vacation. And when I got back to Utah, it was waiting for me here, too. Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert caught it, and the world watched as it infected some of our highest government officials. A laissez faire attitude in the face of pandemic can no longer be tolerated.
A catching attitude of stark indifference toward COVID-19 seems to be sweeping across the nation as fast as jets can fly and perhaps even as quickly as a pandemic can spread. We witnessed as people in positions of power and influence propagated this narrative, and we’ve also seen several of them backpedal and publicly apologize for their lackadaisical words and actions.
COVID-19 is scary. Leading health officials remain pessimistic about slowing the spread of the disease, and the director-general of the World Health Organization officially labeled the novel coronavirus a “pandemic” during a media briefing on March 11.
In his words, “Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.”
Yet he decided the classification is now appropriate.
Holy cow.
For many, these reports stir up justified feelings of fear and anxiety, and a major focus of news outlets has been to quell terror and promote smart prevention practices. Like many other issues of today, however, there seems to be a trend toward polarization, and the opposite side of the spectrum isn’t discussed enough.
Apathy and a disregard for science have spread just as fast as fear, especially among young people. Too many are either hoarding toilet paper, hand sanitizer and masks in fear of a total societal shutdown, or are completely unconcerned about this new “flu-like” virus, claiming the media and the government are blowing the seriousness of the situation out of proportion.
If nothing else, the more than 140,000 confirmed cases worldwide, over 5,000 deaths and the heretofore alarming degree of contagiousness of the disease should be enough to make the most brash among us abandon our cavalier attitudes.
It really should.
As a world society, we need to overcome our lack of diffidence and care regarding COVID-19 as much as we need to not panic. The former attitude is primarily built on false scientific principles, a pervasive mistrust in our governments and media, and a lack of knowledge about the situation. Perhaps the most prominent example of this was Gobert’s actions leading up to his diagnosis. The NBA center was noted for his careless attitude in the locker room. He was also criticized for brazenly touching reporters’ recorders following a media session.
Although unconfirmed, it is speculated that Gobert infected teammate Donovan Mitchell and a child who received an autograph from him, both of whom tested positive for the virus. He may have unwittingly infected others as well.
Unsurprisingly, Gobert’s actions sparked anger from fans and teammates alike. According to ESPN report Adrian Wojnarowski, “There is a lot of work to do to repair relationships” between Gobert and the rest of the Jazz team.
He has since issued an apology for his actions and pledged $500,000 to help cover stadium workers’ pay which they will not be receiving because of the indefinite postponement of the NBA season.
Not being overly concerned for your own safety is vastly different from choosing to endanger others.
However, as ill-advised as Gobert’s actions were, he wasn’t alone in underestimating the disease’s capabilities. President Donald Trump tweeted a message comparing the virus to the flu — despite initial estimates placing the disease nearly 10 times as deadly as the seasonal flu — and even dismantled a pandemic response team of sorts in 2018. Politicizing scientific issues is usually a fallacy, but Trump’s actions and words regarding the U.S.’ handling of the disease cannot be overlooked, especially as many Americans look toward him and his administration for information and hope.
Just because the coronavirus isn’t a death sentence for you, that doesn’t mean your lack of care won’t pronounce a very different sentence on someone else. You can find a list of recommended preventative actions on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website here.
Featured image courtesy of AP Photo/Julio Cortez