The Coronavirus has changed the way that the world functions. A vast majority of schools have gone online, people are now working remotely, restaurants only do carry-out or delivery and stay-at-home orders only let people travel to essential places such as medical facilities, grocery stores and pharmacies. The world has never seen anything like it. In a society where we are fueled by social interaction, it can be hard to understand why we have to stay home at all. A lot of people can fight this cruel respiratory virus with good chances, but a lot of people doesn’t mean everybody. In this article, I’m detailing why I stay home and why you should stay home too.
- For the immunocompromised
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To be immunocompromised basically means that your immune system is not as strong fighting off diseases and conditions as the average person. There are more immunocompromised people than you might think: people with diabetes, people with heart conditions and even people with asthma. People with these conditions and more are very susceptible to the coronavirus. Even if you will be okay, other people will not be. You don’t know who is immunocompromised or not, so it is best to just stay home and not put others at risk who are in grave danger of death because of coronavirus.
- For the elderly
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Elderly people are also known to be vulnerable to the disease. As they get older, their immune systems are weakened as well. During this pandemic, I have barely seen my grandparents. It makes me sad to not see them, but I know that this is for the best. But I don’t do this just for my grandparents, I do it for every older person out there. No one who is of older age has a strong capacity to fight off coronavirus and they are dying every day because of it. It’s unfair to risk their lives for our own selfish reasons.
- To flatten the curve
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You may have heard the term “Flatten the curve” and are confused on what that means. It basically means we need to slow down the number of cases so we do not overwhelm hospitals and the resources we have. It’s so essential to stay at home so we do not come into contact with anyone who may have the virus, or possibly infect someone else with the virus. It takes an average of two to 14 days for symptoms to show, so even if you feel great, you may still have the virus. Even if you don’t die from the disease, it is still vicious because you have a fever, itchy and heavy eyes and also have extreme difficulty breathing.
While quarantining and social distancing is extremely difficult, it is so important if we want this virus to go away any time soon. There are more and more confirmed cases every day and so many people have died. Make sure during this period of social distancing you are still calling and checking up on your friends and doing things that are enjoyable for you such as cooking, working out or reading. It may be hard to not be around people for so long, but it is worth it. Even though these are trying times, I truly believe that we will come out of this stronger than ever.