Don’t be the kid who makes us all lose out on recess

You know the kid in school who wouldn’t listen to the teacher’s instructions and so the teacher would hold the entire class hostage inside the classroom, denying our precious recess time until the non-complying kid got back on task, basically punishing all the rule-followers in class? That’s how I feel about my fellow citizens who aren’t following CDC social distancing guidelines during the re-opening of the country. Remember, we are STILL in the midst of a pandemic with no vaccine and no cure. 

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I really want to take my kid to the caves in southern Missouri before she leaves home for college. I want to take her to San Francisco to see the sea lions and to have a cup of tea at Cafe Flore in the Castro district. I want to take her to New York City to explore the Museum of Natural History and the Met and to see a show on Broadway. I want to take her to DC to see the The National Museum of African American History and Culture and to peacefully protest outside the White House. I want to take her to Yellowstone National Park and to the Great Smokey Mountains. I want to take her to Chicago to ride the L train and to New Orleans to taste a beignet and listen to jazz. I want to take her to swim in the oceans and hike along the Appalachian Trail. I want to do all of these things before she goes off to college, but I am afraid to take her to the grocery store just down the street because a few reckless people can’t follow these simple directions from the CDC:

Social Distancing: Keep Your Distance to Slow the Spread

• Do not gather in groups.
• Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.
• Limit close contact with others outside your household in indoor and outdoor spaces.
• Avoid gatherings of any size outside your household, such as a friend’s house, parks, restaurants, shops, or any other place. This advice applies to people of any age, including teens and younger adults. Children should not have in-person playdates while school is out.

Please, as our public spaces begin opening back up, listen to the advice of our nation’s infectious disease authority. The more you ignore them, the longer we wait for the reward we all deserve for the hard work we have done socially distancing ourselves these past few months.