Virus: Friends are threats

It would be nice if they wore a Scarlet Letter or some other device to show that they had it.

The “it” being coronavirus.

One of the most insidious aspects of World War III is that the enemy is an invisible virus and when humans first contract it they show no immediate symptoms. In fact, some never show symptoms — but become carriers who spread the disease to those around them. 

That’s why we are advised to keep 6 feet from the nearest person, a 12-foot diameter around us. That’s the protective social distance. Danger is all around. 

I went out for cocktails last Friday with my best friend at a restaurant we expected to be fairly empty, and it was. I previously reported how I asked him to keep an empty barstool between us and he was a little miffed, but complied. He also had been to the VA hospital that morning to check a cough he had all week and was given a clean bill of health.

We had tentative plans to meet at the same place this Friday — until city bars and restaurants were shut down.

One reason they — especially bars — were shut down was because millennials were patronizing them. In recent days, the blame game placed millennials on the bullseye.

At a news conference a couple of days ago, Dr. Deborah Birx, Coronavirus Response Coordinator, really tied the bell about the neck of millennials, and was joined by Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said they regard themselves to be invulnerable, and the stats show they pretty much are. Remember “I’m gonna live forever” from “Fame”?

But they are carriers, said Birx, which means they are deadly and can kill friends and relatives without meaning to. 

And they will, if they foil flattening the curve that you have heard so much about. Commentators across the board pointed fingers in the direction of millennials (born between 1983 and 2000). Many have elected to go on Spring Break and are on crowded beaches. Really irresponsible.

Our infection curve right now is more like Italy’s than South Korea’s. We have been lax and if we don’t get really serious, we are going to be clobbered.

I have added a layer to my protection when I got out. I wear rubberized gloves, I pay only by credit card by inserting it into the machine, not allowing the clerk to touch it. I spray my gloves with disinfectant when I walk in the door, then wash my hands.

One thing the experts have said time and again, is that the virus plays no favorites, it attacks everyone — rich and poor, white and black, male and female, urban and country, and so on.

While that might be technically true, it favors the young, who may feel they have a mild cold, over the elderly, who may die trying to breathe. The under-40 are not at as much risk (that is a generalization and there are exceptions) as those over 40.

My drinking buddy is over 40 and so am I. Since the bars are closed, I suggested we have drinks at my place, because we are warned to avoid crowds.

But it now strikes me that my best friend is more of a threat to me than a stranger I pass on the street. That’s why parents are told to avoid making play dates for their children who are out of school. 

That is another insidious part of the virus:  It turns friends into threats. Who can you trust? Who should you trust?

Under the circumstances, no one. 

Keep in touch by phone or Skype or Facebook, but pass on face to face. 

For now and for safety.