Ignorant Westporters self inflict coronavirus
This sign at LaGuardia Airport warns of the coronavirus weeks before schools close.
Bare, empty shelves are stripped of every can of food, and there is not a roll of toilet paper in sight. When it comes to stocking up for quarantine the people of Westport, Connecticut have no problem buying as much food as they can fit into the trunk of their car. However, when it came to social distancing, people had no urgency, and that is why Westport is the town with the most cases of Coronavirus in the state.
When Westporters found out that the amount of Corona cases had climbed to 20, everyone was shocked, and even more so when it climbed to 42. But this should not be shocking. The amount of social gatherings that occurred from the beginning despite the closing of schools is what is shocking.
From the beginning people viewed this break as a vacation rather than the crisis it has now spiraled into. Because of the lack of urgency among residents, students are now behind in school, and the likelihood of finishing out the rest of the school year is slim to none. Seniors might as well kiss graduation, senior prom and their internships goodbye. Not to mention spring sports are hanging by a thread.
As the alarm bells sounded for the last day of school before quarantine, cheers erupted throughout the halls of Staples high school. Instead of worrying about the potential hault of AP tests and internships at the end of the year, students were planning large get togethers, celebrating the closing of school. Instead of staying home that same night, parties and celebrations flooded platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. Despite the warning of staying home, and not hanging out in groups more than ten, both students and adults ignored it, thinking the virus would not affect them.
What the people of Westport didn’t understand in the beginning is that while you might not be at risk of getting the virus it is those around you who could be at risk. Going out with friends could seem harmless at first, but the virus is something that is out of your control. The only thing that we can control is how we prevent it from spreading and that is something that people in this town do not understand.
There are still people at Compo Beach and parks, carelessly walking about, while others are staying at home hoping for the virus to pass. For things to go back to normal there needs to be a group effort to stay in quarantine. So far it is disappointing to see how Westport residents have reacted to the warnings and recommendations of higher authority.
