Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 5-15-20

Feature
The State Of Florida Has Started To Reopen: Most People Believe It Is Too Soon
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
The emergence of a new decade brought great hope. At the start of 2020, people were optimistic and excited about new technology and a historic election that would heal the na- tion. A month into 2020, we began hearing haunting stories from China. A fast-moving deadly virus was making its way through Asia and onto cruise ships. We watched from afar, praying it would not make it to our shores. But by the end of February, COVID was here and spreading rapidly.
Now after more than two months of closures and self-iso- lation, the government and sev- eral states are slowly beginning to reopen some businesses. Many business leaders have pressured city, state, and federal government to reopen so that they can recoup some of their losses. Many citizens seek re- turning to their jobs citing the devastation that has come from layoffs, furloughs, and firings. With 20.5 million people losing their jobs in April alone, people fear for the future of their fam- ily’s well-being. Rent payments and utility payments may be de-
layed, but they will eventually come due.
As of May 11, 2020, the New York Times shows that only 14 states (including California, Washington, Michigan, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey) re- main closed. Louisiana, Ohio, Vermont, and New Mexico plan to start reopening soon. The other 30 states have begun par- tial re-openings. The federal government recommends a phased approach, but states are setting their own rules for the timing and types of businesses to reopen.
While the economic conse- quences are dire, there is the other side of the coin. The peo- ple side of the coin. The U. S. has over 1.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. Over 80,000 people have died from the virus. Some states have slowed down the rate of infec- tion, but “hot spots” are still popping up. In the past few weeks, a new lethal complica- tion from COVID has been af- fecting children. In New York City alone, 64 children have been hospitalized with a condi- tion doctors described as "pedi- atric multi-system inflammatory syndrome," a COVID-related ill- ness causing paralysis.
With all these factors at play, we spoke to some local citizens and asked them...Are we re- opening too soon?
LIZ YORK COHEN
Mrs. Cohen is a prominent retired educator and married to distinguished physician, Dr. George Cohen. Mrs. Cohen started a fitness group among her friends so they could chal- lenge each other to get and stay fit during the COVID crisis. The group has effectively used social media to set goals and compete in virtual 5K races.
Mrs. Cohen states, “There are many compelling and valid reasons to re-open businesses to help our struggling economy. Given the facts that the employ- ment rate is near the depression level and the stock market is un- derperforming, there is a rush to open mentality which is not re-
alistic.”
“The public will have the
final word on this matter,” she continued. “The public is not willing to risk their lives to save the economy.” Mrs. Cohen ex- pects that people will be judi- cious about going back to pre-COVID levels of social inter- action.
SHARON ANDREWS GRAY, M.D.
Dr. Andrews Gray is a psychiatrist at Veterans Hospi- tal and her husband, Stanley Gray, is a retired Marine and community leader. Dr. An- drews-Gray feels that the re- opening of states is too fast. She bases this conclusion on the fact that officials cannot quantify how many asymptomatic carri- ers there are, and they could be spreading the disease. To con- tinue to “flatten the curve, peo- ple need to stay home.”
“It is a bad situation because many people are still out of work and have no income coming in,” Dr. Andrews-Gray contin- ued. However, returning people back to work could cause a sec- ond wave of the virus. When flu season starts up, it will combine with COVID and since we do not have a vaccine or cure, all we can do now are preventive meas- ures.”
Dr. Andrews-Gray states that since she is practicing tele- medicine, all she is doing is going to the grocery store on certain days. She misses social interaction and socializing with her friends, but feels this is the correct route. She states that we are doing what we must. Re- opening too fast would be a detriment.
JOSELYNNE FORDE
As a busy mother, commu-
nity advocate, volunteer, and businesswoman, Joselynne Forde states that she and her family will be remaining at home. Ms. Forde’s mother now lives with her and her hus- band, Colin and two active chil- dren. Protection of her mother and children are her number one goal. Both children were highly active with sports, dance, and social activities.
Mrs. Forde feels that con- tact tracing is crucially impor- tant before eliminating social distancing. Contact tracing re- lies on the infected patient to re- port everyone with whom they have had close contact during the time they think they were in- fectious. These people are warned about possible exposure and are encouraged to self-iso- late. By doing this, people can be aware of potential danger and help stop the spread. No specific information is given, and the pa- tient remains anonymous.
TERREZ ‘TERRI’ TAYLOR
Wife, mother of two and grandmother of two, Mrs. Tay- lor has not been able to hug her youngest grandbaby since social distancing began. She stays in touch through FaceTime and so- cial media, and for Mother’s Day, her family had a drive-by so they could be together on that special day while still being six feet apart. The burden has been great for this super-involved Nana who had been watching and spending time with her grandchildren and children every day.
Mrs. Taylor feels strongly that the current timeline is way too fast. She also feels that if the country had closed and started stay-at-home orders earlier and as one unit, the U. S. would be a lot further along. This method was extraordinarily successful in some countries. However, Mrs. Taylor is very wary of the “sec- ond wave” of the virus caused by a resurgence of the virus after the reopening.
“People are dying and con- tinued reopenings will make it worse. We can’t be selfish,” she concluded.
PAGE 10-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020