Journaling the Coronavirus (COVID19) Pandemic,
Reflection #61

May 11, 2020

Here they come.

A couple of months ago I first discussed the potential of the coming crisis affecting the very core values and mores of the American social condition. Here they come, that phrase refers to the creation of a vast army of virus checkers. In my last article, I used Hawaii as an example of the way things are likely to go in one particularly dangerous area. That area is called, right now, ‘self-quarantine.’ In Hawaii, before tourism stopped dead in its tracks, the officials on the islands figured out that most visitors, although required to self-quarantine for the first two weeks of their visit (in other words, all of their visit), did not follow through and do it. So, the leaders started with self-quarantine but then passed a law, when that was not done, to enforce the quarantine. To supplement catching offenders and locking them up and fining them under the new emergency law, they enlisted hotel workers and anyone else who might ‘snitch’ on the offenders.

The front page of the New York Times headlined this morning the coming new policy of hiring a hundred thousand ‘tracers.’ Tracers, people hired without training or equipment for argumentative and potentially violent confrontations with the public, will go out, upon being notified of a positive virus test, question the person testing positive and then pursue finding and instructing anyone who had contact with that person before the diagnosis to self-quarantine for two weeks. The fact that the person testing positive is contacted and questioned by the tracer, and therefore the tracer should be quarantined for two weeks, is humorously besides the point (think Monty Python). When voluntary quarantine does not work, as it did not in Hawaii, then the enforcement laws will be enacted and come into play across the country. Illinois, on the front page of the Tribune this morning, wants to hire 38,000 traces all by itself.

The tracers would come from the general population portion that is currently unemployed. Wow. This is going to get real interesting, especially when uneducated and barely trained white folks are sent to South Chicago neighborhoods to tell those people that they can starve at home instead of out in the streets. Like we did not have enough drama before? Stand by for July 4th fireworks beginning much earlier this year. The virus cannot be allowed to die or go away. Its effects are simply too entertaining, from a very dark and draconian viewpoint.

OK, Go ahead and shout your Feelings about All of This

Share your Comment

<<<<<< The Beginning |

 

Don's Miss any Updates or New Chapters

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Shares
Share This