After 21 months of some form of lockdown in some part of the country, I fear they may be coming back with a vengeance. While most parts of the country have relaxed the restrictions imposed during the early lockdowns, the government is quickly losing control. As a result, people are beginning to go about their business, as usual, pre -covid is becoming the norm. This disturbs those who have, over the past 21 months, seen their power increase. They now fear it slipping away. So a new covid variant has been identified, just in time to permit them to impose severe restrictions once more.
A variant has been identified in South Africa and is being called the Omicron Variant. The problem is nothing is known about the variant other than it has mutated differently than previous variants. The WHO and the Health Minister of South Africa are alarmed, calling the variant horrific. Horrific based on what? Based on the fact, it incorporates more points of mutation than previous variants. But they go on to say they know little about the variant. It might be more transmissible, it might be more virulent, it might be resistant to the current vaccines, it might be, it might be, it might be.
So based on it might be, countries around the world are denying entry to those traveling from various south African countries. The Governor of New York is denying those with elective surgery access to hospital beds in fear the beds will be needed to fight this new variant. Well, it might rain tomorrow, or it might snow, there may be a hurricane or a tornado, an asteroid may hit the earth, you might be in an accident, you might be struck by lightning, might, might, might. You best lock yourself inside and not venture out.
Have we not lived in fear long enough? And why? How have we benefitted from all of this fear? Florida did not impose the lockdowns to the same extent as most other states. There was a five-week period from April 1, 2020, to mid-May 2020, when everything but essential facilities were locked down. Mask mandates were not imposed, though most people used masks. Some still do. Most businesses were allowed to remain open to some extent, though patronage dropped significantly, and many were forced to close due to a lack of revenue. Initially, schools transitioned to remote learning but were reopened in the fall of 2020 to those who wanted in-class learning. Those who wished to continue remote learning could do so. This year in-class learning is the norm once again. And just this week, despite Florida being the third most populous state in the USA, it was announced Florida has the lowest current infection rate and death rate of any other state. While many states that imposed much more severe restrictions are seeing their infection and death rates climb once again.
Let us take hope and deny those who would steal our freedom by imposing unnecessary lockdowns such an opportunity. Write your local government officials, write your Representative and Senators, write your President if you choose but make your voice heard and let it be known lockdowns are not wanted or necessary.
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