Face Shields

“Who bare my letter, then, to Romeo“

Ah...quarantine. When I was assigned to AFSOUTH in Naples, Italy, I continued my Army funded college courses. Several semesters the subject was Shakespeare.

The letter to Romeo wasn’t delivered...the bearer was locked in a room by nailing the doors shut. Why?

 

Positions on wearing PPE or any form of control, to prevent a viral disease which has already spread worldwide (proof for those who ask 'does it actually spread'), have joined religion, sport, politics, tastes in art, etc, where people have taken a stance and won't budge. There are some right answers and some wrong ones - these will be debated for years to come (long after most of the governments who made the decisions have gone) - but you can bet that scientist will continue to argue with scientist, country with country, people with people (including Nomads with Apes).

But on a personal level, there is 'one right answer'- what the individual believes. I can accept the idea of individual decisions, for example, in religion, sport, tastes in art as generally they have no effect on me personally - I can even accept it in politics as we (usually) end up having a government most people wanted, even if I dislike it, but in the case of a contagious pathogen I have the right to expect the best decisions to be made for the benefit of the majority.

 

I agree with most of what you wrote in your comment but must add that you missed out of the list of those potentially affected, the strangers an infected person comes into contact with. Which is the greatest evil - infecting yourself, your loved ones, family members, your friends, strangers? I would say - all of them.

 

I studied Romeo and Juliet at school as the set Shakespeare but do not recall the messenger was nailed in a room - I just looked it up and found "an epidemic prevents Friar John from entering the gates of the city and reaching Romeo" - my guess is that he might have been the very first case of Covid-19.

 

and who will decide what is the "best decision"? and how will the majority express its will?

 

Those who care about other people will do all they can to protect all the groups I quoted - those who don't care about anyone, possibly even themselves (a fact which may be related to being old), will do nothing.

So it is an individual choice but backed by national controls to protect the nation against those who don't care about other people. In my reading (I have no list of sources - sorry Mr R!), it seems the majority wish to wear masks and protect themselves. This is a worldwide situation, I do not write exclusively about the Philippines.

 

wishful thinking! this is a political decision. the politicians in all countries will weigh all the opinions and results and decide what their direction will be. i agree it is going to be a will of the people. prohibition lasted 13 years until the population reveresed the impact of the crusaders.

i will suggest the population in the phils could care less about covid except for those who have lost their jobs. i would be shamed to tears if i though my catching covid cost some poor filipino their job and therefore their children would go hungry. do you not even care about the tradgedy this represents to poor people?

filipinos are not complying except where they are forced to. neither is the populace in my home state according to my resident son. "the people" will reverse all this nonsense through their politicians and hopefully while there is still something to protect.

 

Of course I care - and you would know that if you have read my previous postings (even though a person here, using a second membership, wrote "We hate you" ).

I also care when other animals are killed in their millions because of a disease outbreak - usually because it is 'easier' and safer than isolation and quarantine. That, in civilised countries is not an option for human diseases - so they do the next best things,: protection, isolation, quarantine.

There are currently 10 countries in the World with zero Covid-19 cases - they all closed their borders. Their tourist economies have been decimated but they will come out of this crisis better than most. Some tribes in other countries with zero or lesser controls are being decimated - so perhaps NO mouths to feed in the future.

 

What is most worrying is that this is the opinion of an epidemiologist.