Locals still wear masks as some claim crisis is over but deaths continue to rise
By JOSH RESNEK
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone.
The traditional starting point for the American summer of 2020 has begun with big question marks about how it is going to turn out with the virus still making millions of us tentative about what we can do while many millions of others believe going out and enjoying themselves is far more important than being kept safe from the viral storm swirling among us.
With most Everett residents venturing outside now wearing masks and practicing social distancing, it is difficult to reconcile this when viewing video of tens of thousands of people frolicking on the beach without masks and or social distancing in places like Daytona Beach, Florida.
Is this OK or is it not?
Are the frolickers casting their fate to the wind and the sun going to become infected or are they not? Are they going to return home and infect their loved ones, and then their loved ones go out and infect others?
The experts all agree – yes, this is going to happen.
The president does not agree.
He says we need to get open and to go back to work and that everything is just fine.
The re-opening here is extremely limited and carefully constructed by the state.
The city is following the state guidelines.
As the new week began, Everett had almost 1600 infected residents and more than 25 deaths.
The state’s numbers are trending downward but many, many thousands are infected, many more are still dying in nursing homes and veterans facilities and in our hospital ICU wards, which remain busy but not to the extent they were busy two weeks ago.
The Boston Globe’s obituary pages are overflowing with the names of people of all ages from all walks of life who have been taken by the virus.
The peak seems to be passing but the unknown continues to terrify people over 60 while those under 60 seem to be getting a pass for the most part.
The national death toll will hit 100,000 this week.
Does it matter or does it not?
Do we open up and let crowds gather without masks or do we not?
No one, it seems, knows what ought to be done to allow the society to rebuild its economy while at the same time not overloading our broken health care system with another wave of seriously ill virus victims.
Whatever the final outcome, it will not be happening anytime soon.
In many states infections are growing rather fast.
In many others it is still growing but more slowly.
In many states the level of infections has tapered off.
In many more states, the effect of the virus is minimal.
In several weeks, the nation will learn whether the virus has had enough of us or whether it is requiring a resurgence.