The COVID-19 virus is our enemy; please protect yourselves
I have not, do not, and will not support our government’s interventions to force our people to comply with vaccine and mask mandates and restrictions to ‘protect’ from the virus. But, much of the data and many if not all of the recommendations from our health officials SHOULD be followed. If nothing else, accept the recommendations to protect yourselves. It’s your choice, but choose wisely.
The virus is our enemy. We are all victims of the virus. Individually, as families, neighborhoods, communities, states, countries, workers, business owners, and governments, there is no aspect of our lives at this point that isn’t affected by the virus.
For the holidays, please follow the recommendations of the health department to stay safe, which for the most part are basic cold and flu season precautions we often do each winter. Those recommendations include:
Thoroughly washing hands
Using hand sanitizer
Coughing and sneezing into your arm
Staying home if you’re sick
Keeping your distance from others
Staying in small groups
Wear a mask if you choose.
The virus is very much among us and affects more and more people at a more significant and faster rate. Personally, our families have decided unitedly to hold Thanksgiving in our individual homes to ensure everyone stays as safe as possible.
The virus is spreading from the community to our homes, within our homes, and back out to the community. For the holidays, please consider the recommendation to celebrate with your immediate families avoiding large groups. We are comfortable in our homes. We take fewer precautions within our homes and around people we know, love, and are familiar with – the enemy, which is the virus, is taking advantage of these situations.
Since March 2020, the Utah people have suffered and endured the complexities of a ‘pandemic’ caused by the COVID-19 virus. Businesses and schools were shut down, people were forced to stay home, work from home, moved into unemployment, businesses drastically cut back or even permanently shut down, shortages appeared everywhere, and the full force of government intervention was placed upon the people.
Eight months later, much of the shutdowns, shortages, employment difficulties, and other issues have been resolved to a degree. Government intervention has changed, modified, become less restrictive, more restrictive, but remains a dominant part of our lives. Many believe our government has overstepped its bounds; many others believe it has not gone far enough. Like most things, the truth is laden with action that includes both useful measures and missteps. The fact remains, very little government action has worked to stop the virus. It is more rampant now than at any time since March.
That does not change the fact that the virus is among us. Choose to protect yourselves.
The information about the virus we are receiving from our health officials is accurate. There may be discrepancies here and there in the data. Still, the fact remains, the virus is spreading, people are getting sick, dying, and health systems are being stretched very thin. It is accurate and a reality.
I encourage, I plead, with you to take the data seriously and take every precaution possible to keep yourself and your families safe. It is true, many people get the virus, have no symptoms, and recover quickly. Others suffer significantly for long periods, many who recover have long-lasting adverse side effects, some die.