No one could have predicted that 2020 would be a challenging year. I am sure we expected challenges, however, we did not expect complete catastrophe. We are battling numerous of fights at the same time that show a unique link to each other: COVID and inequality. The link is that those of color are more at risk. COVID is not under control and we do not have efficient leadership at the helm. Our president as failed us and turned this pandemic into a political battle only deciding to wear a mask in public for the first time a few days ago. Our governor is cautious on his decisions as he does not want to fall victim to have his name on a negative tweet from the president. First, it was the masks wearing now it is the decision on whether or not kids should go back to school in the next month. All the plans and leadership we depend on have led us down a tumultuous road. In order to get the state out of danger we have no choice but to shut down all over again. This starts with shutting down all theme parks (including water parks) around the state. I cannot comprehend the alarms going off in my head seeing that Disney reopened when the state positivity rate is hovering around 15%. When Disney first shut down in Florida there were only around 200 cases in the entire state alone, we are now nearing 300,000 cases. These theme parks all around the state attract others from all over and can easily turn into a hot spot despite efforts businesses put in place to reopen safely. These theme parks should not reopen until the state positivity rate drops to under 5%. Next, there needs to be a statewide mandate that requires masks in areas where social distancing is not possible. Failure to abide by the mandate will result in a fine. Other than reasonable medical excuses, this needs to be heavily enforced to the fullest extent of the law. A picture emerged of Senator Ted Cruz sitting waiting for his flight and onboard that showed him not wearing a mask even though American Airlines issued a policy that people will be kicked off if they fail to follow protocols. Again, health and politics needs to be separated. There is no excuse for that to have been allowed. We are all in this together, we should all have to abide by the rules and do so in good faith knowing we do this to protect one another and our families. Restaurant need to temporarily shut down for indoor dining and operate back at a to-go setting until the positivity rate drops under 10%. Schools should only be allowed to reopen if the state positivity rate drops to under 10% with a block schedule enforced to limit the number of students and create the safest environment for staff and students or else remote learning is the best practice. All other non-essential businesses that function in closed settings such as gyms, health and wellness businesses should also shut down until the states positivity rate is under 5%. The state of Florida has hit record high new cases that the world has not seen, not even spots such as Italy or France. Our ICUs all over the state are nearing or are at capacity. Our healthcare workers are overwhelmed and are catching COVID themselves. When the workforce heavily relied on becomes compromised, there are serious problems. The worst part is that we are only beginning to see transmission from 4th of July weekend that could potentially cause these daily case numbers to continue to break new records. Florida’s daily new case record alone does not even add up to the number of new cases coming out of the EU. It’s time to make the tough decision to shut back down non-essential businesses and enforce more strict policies to remove epicenter from our name. The more this gets delayed the longer it takes to get back on the right path that we are seeing other countries in Europe having the ability to do. It’s time to forget about politics and fight to eradicate COVID and save lives. Do you part: wear a mask and practice social distancing when out.
