Crowding children back into classrooms this coming autumn and winter, as the elusive DELTA VARIANT is driving another major spike in the current raging pandemic, a spike that is even more contagious and lethal than the original outbreak — is blatantly absurd and socially irresponsible. Our youngest are not vaccinated, and we truly do not know just how easily they may become contagious carriers, or they themselves suffer some longterm personal health issues — or worse. I am so torn knowing my grandson Alex, who comes down to visit me everyday, will be heading off to 2nd grade unprotected, on Wednesday. Love that little man so!
Adult humans do, at our best, continue to demonstrate arrogance, impatience, careless irresponsibility, and blatant ignorance in the face of this deadly scourge. Even the easiest, most basic gesture of consideration for others, wearing a mask, foolishly ignored — turning an act of public safety for the community, into some selfish statement of defiance. Humans are turning common sense into a deadly political confrontation, masqueraded as “human rights”?!
And now we are putting the health and safety of our children, as well that of our society as a whole, in mortal danger, by making them pawns in this “rush back to imagined normalcy”. Why? Because we find the necessary continued actions to effectively protect the human right to life — inconvenient, bothersome or confining. Attached to a respirator in a hospital bed, is more confining. A coffin in a grave is far more confining — permanently!
Listen, we have no idea what the “COVID surge-affect” of these massive moves away from safety, already undertaken, will ultimately cause. We do see emergency rooms being strained to breaking again. We see disease and death rates dramatically spiking again, and we see human adults acting like spoiled children, refusing to get vaccinated. Or simpler yet, to mask up! Now we are going to play Russian roulette with our children!
I hope I am just overreacting, but the evidence of the past 18 months tells me there is cause for genuine concern. Time to batten down again until we actually wipe out, or effectively contain COVID, and it’s ongoing mutations — at least to the degree we have with the flu. We still do not understand this COVID in the same way we do the flu. This is not the time to up the stakes in this gamble with the health and the lives of the human race, by rolling our innocent children out like dice!
let’s not make life a dice game
COVID holds d’bones
Autumn’s leaves should be what falls
don’t gamble with the children
*
rob kistner © 2021
Poetry at: dVerse
All too true, Rob. My granddaughter-in-law and baby flew to Boston and both came home with Covid, and transmitted it to my grandson who had been vaccinated. The DIL had not been vaccinated because she was nursing the baby. Thankfully, they have had light cases. Here at home, my son and wife both had Covid this month. His case light, hers narrowly escaping being placed on a vent. So long as half the adults refuse vaccination, it seems unstoppable. I find their refusal unconscionable.
Yo Bev. I am awaiting the return tonight of my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson from flying round trip to spend 5 days in Detroit. Yo same I am apprehensive is an extreme understatement. I am afraid to even hug them, though I certainly want to when they walk through the door. They and we are all vaccinated here, but the family they visited are not. That family just spent last weekend at a NASCAR race mixing openly with the crowd for 3 days. 🙁 I plan to get tested tomorrow, and then again in a week. Fingers crossed!
Oh no, Rob 🙁 Fingers crossed for you here as well.
Thank you Lisa. I can’t wait to see my family again, I pray I do not pay a price for that love.
I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment, but much like rolling the dice it’s a game of odds and weighing which is the least worse course forward.
Yes Tom, that is what it is. Returning to some minimum normalcy makes sense. But crwding together st sporting events is an act of irresponsibility, even arrogance. Crowding kids into classrooms is, in my mind, a premature, unnecessary risk. I live with my grandson. He returns to 2nd grade on Wednesday. I am vaccinated, but that has been demonstrated to be less than 100% effective. I am 75, snd have heart failure, unstable diabetes, and survive on a pacemaker. If I get it I am very likely screwed. Oh well. I am part of the human race, and we created this shit show — so by proxy, I am guilty and probably shouldn’t complain. I’m just not finished living yet.
What scares me about the school situation beyond the obvious is that there will be a dependence on the kids keeping their masks on to stay safe — what 6 or 7 year old will have the maturity, awareness, diligence to keep that mask on for 8 or more hours straight? None that I know of. I remember at the pandemics worst last year when kids were supposed to be wearing masks, driving down the street I could see where their masks were hanging off ears but only a small percentage of the groups of kids walking side by side had masks up. I see stupid rationalizations for sending kids to school. “it will hurt them socially if they don’t go” is one I don’t understand, as if they end up on a vent or dead their social lives mean zip.
At this point all we can do is hope for the best. And for those who find it a comfort — pray.
Thing is Tom, we did not have to roll the dice with our children. Get them vaccinated first, then send them back down the cattle shoot. Hell, schools are simply petri dishes. Now we have put in COVID. It’s madness.
AMEN Rob. THANK YOU for coming out and saying it. It is exactly this:
“This is not the time to up the stakes in this gamble with the health and the lives of the human race, by rolling our innocent children out like dice!”
To me, the fact that supposedly sane people do not see the unnecessary danger this poses leads me to believe there is a kind of mass psychosis, making the obvious beyond the reach of common sense?
I hear you Rob! When governments make unconscionable decisions, citizens pay.
Good intentions, rashly implemented Punam, can quickly become bad ideas.
I understand where you’re coming from, Rob.
Sincerely,
David
Just concerned we are making this decision with our heart and not our science David — good intention vs good science? Although I have had the two (2) Moderna vaccine shots, my concern is hyper focused, given I am at the age and health to die from COVID Delta Variant.
I’m going to get my booster shot in a few weeks. A good friend of mine, who was unvaccinated, just moved to Tennessee. He and his whole family came down with Covid. After a week in the hospital, they all survived, including a 2 year old and 5 year grandchildren. He said he “may” consider getting the vaccine now. Go figure.
It is russian roulette not being vaccinated, especially for our kids, no vaccination, crowding back into classrooms. My family just got back from 5 days in Detroit with un vaccinated family, who the week before, were rubbing shoulders with a huge NASCAR Race crowd. I would bet that crowd was well below the national average for vaccination. I am very apprehensive. Trying to set up both a COVID DELTA test — and my booster. I hope my insulin dependent diabetes, my heart failure, my arterial sclerosis, my history of pulmonary issues, and my Pacemaker will make me eligible for the first round booster. Fingers crossed! Hope you are doing well my friend.
Nice job Rob. Some real thoughts to ponder. I LOVE your haiku. Isn’t it people who are always the scapegoat or the sacrifice? What are we but a meer less than precious commodity.
Thank you Mary.
Schools have been open all the time during the pandemic… I am actually more concerned over the lost years of education that have happened… Children still get much less affected as long as everyone around them is vaccinating. Just my thoughts…
Only some schools. Most have not been open over here. We will see what happens?
Most schools are just now opening back up here in the US. I hear you Bjorn — but it’s the kids who need to be vaccinated before being herded back into schools. We already have a significant DELTA spike. Wait until the end of September.
This is a good description:
“rush back to imagined normalcy.”
Thank you Tzvi… 🙂
I absolutely agree. We’ve just had 2 weeks of quarantine because there was a case at the school my boys go to, and that quickly became 50 cases. Fortunately all our tests have come back negative, but I really don’t want schools to open again until kids are vaccinated too.
Decisions are not being made based on science – they’re being made on economic and selfish grounds. The right-wing states here have been slow to shut down because they’re trying to keep businesses open, which means schools have to stay open so parents can go to work. And they have had bigger outbreaks and more deaths, including young people from delta. And that’s being pushed as the way to go by the right wing federal government.
Thank you for sharing this Kate. I feel there are going to be big problems state by state, depending on the states attitudes. DELTA is an entirely different animal and much more aggressive, no matter the age. I am astonished that they were sent back before they were vaccinated, then they would have had a better chance. September is going to be a disturbing month I believe. Sadly I believe many parents, and grandmas & grandpas like me, are going to feel the true impact of DELTA. I hope I sm wrong, but your situation points directly to my concerns. Sure, send the kids back — After they’ve been vaccinated. There are many vaccinations a child must have before they can mix with a school’s population — what is this mass stupidity with regard to this particular raging deadly pandemic?! I truly don’t get it.
I am in total agreement with you. Everything has become political. Children are being put in danger, until they can be protected. Frightening. Excellent haibun, Rob.
My beautiful wonderful grandson is one of those in danger Sara.