My opinion on this has swung wildly over time.
I've always been a little germ-phobic. I'm one of the weirdos that wipes down the carts at the grocery store before I touch it. Keep hand sanitizer in my truck so I can hit it when I touch things like gas pumps, ATM pads. That's gotten worse over time.
It really started when I read The Stand. Chapter 8 in that book clearly illustrates virus gets spread. Should be required reading. It stuck in my head and my behavior slowly changed over time. It's cost me. I've had clients catch me hitting the sanitizer after shaking hands and looking offended. I refused to go to my parent's house one Christmas because one of my siblings insisted on bringing his kids - two of which were suffering from stomach virus and/or fluish fevers. Caused a rift in the family and somehow it was MY fault when everyone who went was throwing up within three days of being exposed.
So when this started up, I was dismissive. Just show a little restraint, do some extra self-care and it'll be fine.
Then Fauci kept beating the drum. I thought the guy was credible. I decided maybe his advice was worth following. Keep your distance, let it run its course. I even agreed with the temporary shut down.
I'm over it now.
First, there are things we simply aren't being told. I am firmly convinced that:
1) this virus (whatever it is) is airborne and does not require contact transmission
2) It's been around a lot longer than they are saying. There were people you knew and were in contact with who had "unknown respiratory infections" after Thanksgiving that tested negative for flu, strep, bronchitis, etc. They had it.
3) Everyone is going to come in contact with it no matter what we do. For the vast, vast majority of us it is utterly benign. We won't even notice. We come in contact with thousands of things like that every day.
4) The deaths attributed to "COVID-19" are WILDLY, GROSSLY overstated. Maybe they've come in contact with the virus, but many of these people were already at death's door. Yes, there are some that it kills but the same goes for flu, shingles, and dozens of other things that most people recover from. New York City is tagging virtually every death as COVID related even when there's no direct connection. Despite this? The average number of deaths in NYC is *get this, because it's important* ESSENTIALLY UNCHANGED over the number of deaths in any other random year. Screaming about the COVID deaths when the total mortality rate hasn't changed? Why do I smell something foul? It's not decomposing bodies. New York City averages about 6,000 deaths per month. On March 31 they claimed 1000 total COVID deaths. There is no statistically significant increase over the average number of total deaths for that span. (Bear in mind that the media is quietly hyping all deaths in the state as NYC, which isn't true. If you spread it out to the entire state, the death rate STILL hasn't changed. Let that sink in. No. More. People. Are. Dying. Than. Were. Dying. A. Year. Ago. No statistically significant change.
5) We are being lied to. Period. Fauci is lying and I don't know why. People are lying on social media for attention. I went to Mobile yesterday. There are no lines at testing centers. No full emergency rooms. No swarms at the hospitals. The media is lying. They're using stock footage. They're stirring up fear.
I'm going to un-quarantine myself. I'm going to go back to the same common-sense precautions I took when the regular flu or some other bug was out there.
This national panic is bullshit.