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HISTORY
COVID-19 Journal May 15, 2020
Pioneer living and the revolt against lockdown.
What follows is a lightly edited version of a journal I wrote periodically to document the Coronavirus pandemic as it was developing across the United States and the world. I was working as an Assistant Professor at Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia. This is seven of seven.
5.15.2020. Many states are easing lockdown restrictions, partly because of protesters with guns in Michigan and other states. The Michigan legislature cancelled their session yesterday because of armed protesters. A federal judge struck down Wisconsin’s lockdown yesterday, and people flocked to bars and other businesses. Photos are circulating of bars packed with people, and we can predict what the consequences of that will be. A vocal minority of people believe that their rights and freedoms are more important than public health. This is an old pattern; some people decide to party during an epidemic, and they can be pretty determined. Unfortunately, that means that the epidemic will be around for a long time, and we’ll have to be careful. I’m worried about the resumption of classes in August (the semester ended Monday this week). I don’t want to be in an enclosed space with 25–30 disease vectors when COVID-19 has proven to be so contagious. I’m going to be okay…
