In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, many of us had high hopes for the summer: “Maybe by the time the kids are off for summer break, the virus will be under control and we can still go on vacation.” “Maybe the warm weather will drastically slow the spread of COVID-19.”
If only. Nearly five months into the pandemic, the virus is clearly here to stay. Summer, sadly, isn’t a magic bullet. As temperatures rise, COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations are also on the rise in several states. A vaccine is still a hypothetical. Some experts say widespread mask-wearing could slow down infection rates, but the battle over face masks in public has only intensified. It’s all very concerning, to say the least.
Still, those concerns haven’t stopped many Americans from looking for means to escape. Over the weekend, videos posted to social media showed massive crowds gathered in front of the stage at a Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons in New York. Your timeline and Instagram story section are probably full of people posting pics and videos from their barbecues, vacations, beach days and pool parties.
The travel industry is ready and waiting, pandemic be damned. “We know you #WannaGetAway so book today to take advantage of our low fares,” Southwest Airlines tweeted earlier this month.
Disney World in Florida, a coronavirus hotspot, reopened this month with strict policies in place for visitors (face masks, temperature screenings). Videos on social media show cast members making the rounds in the park, dressed up as Belle and Ariel and other Disney princesses, sans mask. Even in the Florida heat, donning a full Mickey or Mr. Incredible suit seems preferable.
If you’ve been sheltering in place, more or less, seeing people living it up this summer can be a little crazy-making. A recent tweet from journalist Louis Peitzman pointed out the incongruity of seeing people treating this summer just like any other while COVID-19 cases surge.
“If you do break social distancing, consider not posting photos of your group hang or your mask-free beach day,” Pietzman said. “Not because you’ll get dragged — though you might! — but because of the effect it has on your followers.”
It’s weird to see people partying it up, going to Florida’s Disney World or New York’s Fire Island in the middle of a pandemic. But as Peitzman said in his Twitter thread, what’s weirder is forcing yourself to square those images with your own begrudged acceptance of reality. What pandemic are they living in? Because it’s certainly not everyone’s.
“My reaction to these photos is often anger, but buried under that’s a seed of doubt,” Peitzman wrote. “I spend all day reading studies and tracking the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations and deaths, and STILL, I see enough maskless pics and think, maybe I’m the crazy one. It wears you down.”
My reaction to these photos is often anger, but buried under that’s a seed of doubt. I spend all day reading studies and tracking the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations and deaths, and STILL, I see enough maskless pics and think, maybe I’m the crazy one. It wears you down.
— Louis Peitzman (@LouisPeitzman) July 21, 2020
In spite of warnings from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people clearly have very different takes on what is safe to do and what’s too risky. That’s especially true of younger generations. The belief up until now has generally been that younger people were less likely to have severe consequences from exposure to the coronavirus, which has led some to behave as if they’re invincible. That’s a dangerous gambit; as the first wave of the virus begins to resurge, the average age of U.S. coronavirus patients is actually shifting lower.
It’s hard for young people to accept this, though, said Susan Newman, a social psychologist and author of “The Book of No: 365 Ways to Say It and Mean It ― and Stop People-Pleasing Forever.”
“Unlike older adults, it is patently clear that it doesn’t make scientific sense for vibrant, healthy young people to have to worry about getting it,” she told HuffPost. “But this virus is insidious and cares not how old you are, that you are ‘over it all’ and want to take a much-needed break or go about business as usual.”
Quarantine fatigue has many of us subscribing to a kind of magical thinking.
“The problem is, indulging yourself in a fun or relaxing pastime will not solve what is a rampant crisis,” Newman said. “The hours or vacation week you spend away from being more or less confined to your home may feel wonderful, but in the long run it could be foolish.”
It’s foolish for several reasons. You may have put your faith in “herd immunity” and say, “If I get it, I get it, I can’t stop living my life anymore.” But what about your family? Newman asked.
“When you take a ‘break’ that ignores social distancing and mask wearing, you risk bringing COVID-19 home to those you live with or see regularly even if you have no symptoms,” she said. “Is that worth a brief timeout?”
Plus, she noted, if you’re traveling any distance, do you really want to be sick in a far-off city, away from the comforts of home and possibly stranded for the indeterminate future?