As I write this, I am at the end of a quarantine resulting from a member of my household needing to get tested for COVID-19 due to symptoms similar to a cold. The test came back negative, which is an immense relief. As I watch the COVID-19 statistics for Maryland and the U.S. getting worse by the day, I know that this probably won’t be the last time my family will go through this. As Ned Stark’s famous line from Game of Thrones goes, “winter is coming.”
Common sense told us that this was probably just a common cold. Our family has been following safety protocols and guidance, and to our knowledge, we have not been exposed to COVID-19. By getting a test, we turned to science to give us a definitive answer, and as it turned out, our common sense was confirmed to be correct. When, not if, this happens again, the calculus will be the same – we will use common sense to come up with a probable answer while using science to get a definitive one.
As COVID-19 worsens in our country, I am growing frustrated with the lack of common sense in the discourse surrounding this pandemic and the response to it. Common sense is notably missing when you look at the inaction on the part of our leaders, the flagrant disregard for safety protocols on the part of our fellow countrymen, and the callousness of folks who insist on their freedom without acknowledging the responsibilities that come with it. COVID-19 has killed 270,000 Americans and isn’t finished yet, and meanwhile, folks are refusing to wear masks because someone on YouTube said they don’t work. C’mon, people!
Common sense will tell us a lot if we listen to it. It will tell us that for an airborne respiratory virus, a mask is an effective mitigation tool when used correctly and universally. It will tell us that during the winter, infections such as colds, stomach bugs, strep throat, and pinkeye spread like wildfire throughout schools and daycare facilities, so the notion that children somehow would not spread COVID-19 in a school setting seems ludicrous. And common sense will tell us that without formal mandates from leaders, many of our countrymen cannot be trusted to do their part to protect their fellow citizens.
Let’s allow common sense to give us a probable answer to questions like these where science hasn’t yet given us a definitive one. Wear a mask. Don’t assume that children aren’t spreaders. And don’t think for a moment that the phrase “strongly discouraged” will be enough to keep people from gathering or traveling for Christmas celebrations. Science and research will tell us if masks really work, whether or not children spread COVID-19, and if our leaders need to take stronger, more meaningful action.
COVID-19, and our country’s incompetent response to it, has cost many lives. Common sense costs nothing. Let’s use it.