My NYE Will be Low-Key, COVID-Free [OPINION]

When I tell people that I mask up, socially distance, disinfect, and take precautions in regards to the coronavirus, some call me a "sheeple" and say that I am living in fear.

I want to be clear: I am not afraid of the coronavirus (COVID-19). I've had it. I don't want it again (there are reports of people being reinfected), but I don't fear it, I respect it. What I DO fear is that I will transmit it to someone else. Someone with a weaker immune system. Someone with cancer or asthma or COPD. Someone who may die from it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that our economy should be shut down. I think that our economy should remain open and that people should be allowed to get back to work. But people CAN'T get back to work if the coronavirus continues to spread. What helps limit the spread of the coronavirus? Being a "sheeple", I guess: masking, maintaining social distance, disinfecting, and taking other precautions.

Now, on to my New Year's Eve celebration or, in this instance, observation. This is the first NYE since 1992 that my Sig-O hasn't had to work. She is in the entertainment industry as well, and NYE is a huge night for them. This year, though, they are shut down. Why, you may ask? Well, it's because people weren't being "sheeple".

If you want businesses to remain open, you have to mask up and take coronavirus precautions seriously. It appears that you can't have one without the other: if you don't want to mask up, expect businesses to close.

I don't know how else to say it. I know that things are VERY political right now, and it appears that maskers, for the most part, lean left, and non-maskers, for the most part, lean right (I say "for the most part" because I know people on both sides who do not fit that mold, but most of my friends do). The funny thing about the politicization of the coronavirus is this: the coronavirus doesn't vote. It has no clue as to who is R and who is D. It just wants a warm body.

Yes, the "recovery" rate is above 90%, but if you ask many of the people who have had the coronavirus, they will tell you that the symptoms linger. I know. I still experience fatigue, headaches, and have difficulty sometimes finding my words. We still don't know what the long-term effects of COVID-19 are on the body, so I think that the term "recovered" should come with an *. And I also don't think that the "small percentage of" people who do not survive the coronavirus should be considered collateral damage worth the selfishness of refusing to wear a mask.

Anyhoo, I'm in the process of cooking supper (we've got a roast in the oven) and, when it's done, we will probably watch a movie and fall asleep on the sofa. Before midnight, if everything goes as planned.

Happy new year; I hope it brings you joy, love, health, and above all else, peace. Without peace, you can't much enjoy the other 3.