In checking in with local restaurants via social media to gauge which ones would be delivering and offering carryout during the coronavirus crisis, we came across a post about one temporarily closing that gives a little insight into why Gov. Hogan upped the ante with more significant measures for halting the spread of COVID-19 via executive orders last week. “After being opened today for only 4 hours, it has become alarmingly evident that a large portion of people are not taking this pandemic seriously," the post said.
Hogan said much the same during his news conference Thursday when he ordered all malls in the state to be shut down, three days after ordering, among other businesses, eat-in restaurants shuttered.
“Despite all of our repeated warnings for weeks and despite the rapid escalation of this virus across our state, the region, the nation and the world, some people are treating this like a vacation or a spring break with parties, cookouts and large gatherings at some of our parks,” he said. "Let me be very clear. If you are engaged in this type of activity, you are in violation of state law and you are endangering the lives of your fellow Marylanders.”
Certainly, more enforcement could be in the offing for those who fail to adhere to executive orders. Carroll County State’s Attorney Brian DeLeonardo made that clear this week (even as Baltimore officials were publicly discussing doing the opposite), in a news release reiterating that, “Any person who knowingly and willfully violates these orders is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment up to one year, a $5000 fine, or both.”
Said DeLeonardo: “Now more than ever is a time for law and order — there is no ‘free pass’ because there is a declared state of emergency locally, statewide and nationally. I fully anticipate that everyone accepts the gravity of the situation, and the part they must play in keeping their families and neighbors safe by following the governor’s orders."
We would like to think people are now accepting the gravity of the situation and the part everyone needs to play, but we are human beings and human beings don’t do too well with confinement.
Even in Italy, where the coronavirus outbreak long ago turned into national tragedy, it’s difficult to get everyone to get with the full-on quarantine program. According to a wire service report, a Chinese Red Cross official heading an aid delegation to Milan castigated Italians for failing to take their national lockdown seriously.
Sun Shuopeng was quoted as saying he was shocked to see so many people walking around, using public transportation and eating out in hotels. This, in a country where more people have died from the novel coronavirus than any other, with more than 4,000 dead out of nearly 50,000 cases. “Right now we need to stop all economic activity, and we need to stop the mobility of people,” he said. “All people should be staying at home in quarantine.”
Maryland is not on lockdown — yet — but if that were to happen the people who have not taken the crisis seriously will be at least party to blame.
So work from home if at all possible. Limit public contact with others, canceling non-essential appointments. And, of course, hands should be washed frequently. Those who do feel sick, particularly with fever, cough and shortness of breath, should call their health care provider and follow all recommendations, perhaps getting tested.
As inconvenient as it is, as frustrating as it is, as against our nature as it is, take all the advice, all the warnings, all the executive orders seriously for the remainder of this crisis. As Hogan said, anyone who isn’t, at this point, is endangering the rest of us.