Eighty years ago, England was bombed almost nightly in German raids. The prime minister, Chamberlain, followed by Churchill, ordered all lights to be turned off at dusk so as not to leave easy targets for the Germans. Some complained, saying that their civil rights were being unjustly taken away. The consequence of disobeying the order may have brought a civil penalty to the noncompliant individuals, but the biggest consequence was the death or injury to hundreds or thousands of people who were made a target by the few who insisted it was their right to have their lights on at night.
Here we are today in a world pandemic where some individuals claim their civil rights are being violated and refuse to wear a mask in public, despite the possibility of being a nonsymptomatic carrier of COVID-19. This will only continue the spread and make tracing impossible, thus perpetuating lockdowns and the many inconveniences that go with it for many more months or even years.
Tracing allows public health officials to put out small campfires, compared to putting out many giant forest fires. It works if the public is compliant.
Will I choose to be the one that insists that my lights are on at night, putting my countrymen in harm’s way, or will I unite with them to put the virus behind us sooner rather than later?
Dennis E. O’BrienDurango
