Just like President Trump predicted, the Covid-19 virus has miraculously disappeared. I know that because I watch a LOT of television news. I followed the daily interviews with the leading medical authorities, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx. I saw those ubiquitous images of overcrowded emergency rooms. I watched that daily battle over the supplies between Trump and various Democrat governors and mayors. I kept track of the daily case and death statistics. And of course, I have heard the ominous warnings to remain inside and wear masks and keep our distances when outdoors.
But miraculously in the past week, it has all disappeared. I have not seen a single interview with Fauci or Birx. But I do see crowds of people assembling in tight situations all across the nation – many without masks. And those wearing masks seem to wear them to conceal their identity rather than as a health measure.
In fact, I have not heard a single reporter advise the crowds to stay inside or keep their distances. Even when the folks are illegally assembling during a curfew, no reporter advised them to go home because they are spreading Covid-19. In fact, some of those television news anchors and panelists are even encouraging folks to head outside to join their fellow citizens in those crowded venues.
If the Covid-19 virus was still a problem, those people in the streets would be killing their grandmas. I heard that warning MANY times in the past.
Just a week ago, the coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic was obsessive. There was virtually no time for any other topic or news. Even those so-called cable news outlets – with their 24/7 coverage had little time for anything else. The Covid-19 news trumped events in China and Hong Kong … in Venezuela and the Middle East. There was virtually no coverage of this week’s primary elections.
It was just a week or so ago when those same folks were suggesting that I was a threat to the human race if I were to go to the beach or enter a restaurant without a mask. So, if the pandemic was still around, they would most certainly warn folks against gathering in the types of crowds I see on television.
Not only did I see people standing next to each other, but they were not maintaining social distancing at all. They were actually hugging, kissing, holding hands, locking arms and touching their faces. They were touching surfaces and passing out bottles of water hand-to-hand — and some bottles with a murky liquid and cloth sticking out. Maybe those were hand sanitizers.
I remember how important that contact tracing was during the pandemic. We had to find out who an infected person had strolled passed during their day. Can you imagine how anyone who might have Covid-19 could tell who they came in contact with.
So, you can see why I assume that Covid-19 must have miraculously evaporated in the past week. What consumed media attention just days ago is no longer in the category of “all the news that’s fit to print” – as the New York Times claimed of itself. Covid-19 is more in the “Fuggedaboudit” category.
Based on what I see on the television these days, I think I will store my masks among my painting supplies in the unlikely case I decide to paint the living room. It is simply good to know that I can take comfort that we no longer have a Covid-19 pandemic – because I follow the news.
So, there ‘tis.