And when will it, or will it - ever end?

"Am I going back into my basement to hunker and bunker? Not a bit. But I will give this virus a bit more respect that I recently have. Being in South Dakota was a respite. But now that I am back of the highly infected state of Minnesota, it is time to get serious again."

We just returned from a "freedom trip" to South Dakota. Except for the Smithfield meat packing plant in Sioux Falls, it is a state which has been only lightly touched by the COVID - 19 virus. The state never shut down - been open the entire time. And it has worked for them. Their numbers back this up.

However, in the short week we were gone, the rest of the country was going bonkers with outbreaks. Like three days in a row of record setting infections. For some reason, the worst of it seems to be in the south eastern and south central states. So much for the virus hating hot and sunny weather. 

Right now, the country is trying so hard to open up, and get back to normal. Normal - how life used to be prior to March. But the virus is saying, "not so fast. I am not done with my first wave as yet." Any good news to report? The death rate. Even though the number of new infections is through the roof high, the hospitalizations and death rates seem to be much less so. One possible reason? Hitting more young people than older folks.

Many are asking the same question - when will it end? Or will it end? Oh, it will end. These viruses all end one way or another. If they did not, we would all be extinct right now. We will either come up with one or more vaccines, develop some kind of herd immunity, or the virus will mutate into something more benign. But that is sometime for the future. Right now, COVID - 19 is the proverbial "turd in the punch bowl". It is ruining many things for many people. It is going to ruin the 4th of July for some - maybe many. And it is still putting the hurt on our economy. 

Some states have tried to ignore it, and maybe it will just go away. That did not work well. Just ask folks in Florida, Texas or California. Throwing caution to the wind will not win the day for us. As much as it pains me to say this, I think we all need to treat this uninvited visitor from China with more respect. Give it a wider berth. Why do I say that? What we have been doing with the gradual "opening up", might not be working. The numbers back that hunch up. 

Am I going back into my basement to hunker and bunker? Not a bit. But I will give this virus a bit more respect that I recently have. Being in South Dakota was a respite. But now that I am back of the highly infected state of Minnesota, it is time to get serious again. Dr. Oz was on one of the channels we watched while out west. He said we could all do ourselves a huge favor just by practicing "6-15". Stay six feet away from others (mostly inside), and if inside, and you can't be six feet away from others, only stay there for fifteen minutes. He believes that alone would take the number of new infections way down.

Oz did say another thing about masks. He thinks (as do I), many still are misinformed about masks. Cloth masks do NOTHING to keep you safe. Zip. Only medical N 95 masks can protect you to a degree. Cloth masks however, can protect others FROM you. Remember that when a mask is required. It is not for you, but for others. 

Will it end? Yes, but probably not this year. 2020 is going to be a loser - a year to forget. But we are smarter than this virus. It is not a living thing with a brain - but we are. Until its time comes (hopefully early into 2021), we need to outsmart COVID - 19. We need to be able to live our lives as fully as possible, without falling victim to it. Until then, lets get our number back down - way down.