The (not so) Stay At Home Protests

It has officially been four weeks of quarantine. Four weeks with no school, no work, and no physical interaction with friends, distant relatives and many more. As anxiety builds and time continues to whiz by, people grow impatient. Across the country people have begun begin to stand up for their belief that life can’t be “put on pause” forever and that the United States must reopen. 

Rallies and protests spread as people struggle from financial hardships and sold out stores. We all hold many different beliefs on these protests as to whether they’re selfish or much needed to redirect our priorities. Several students have been kind enough to weigh in on the issue with their own opinions of these recent events. 

First, we arrive at the extremely sought after question through these events: Should quarantine end sooner rather than later? Junior Chris Miranda adds some wise input saying, “...the way it's being handled as of right now where they are extending the date and playing it by ear is the best way to go about it.” which has proven to be true as numbers are beginning to decline. In addition, he says, “ Ending it too soon could lead to a second wave of cases leading us to go right back to quarantine. Although, keeping it going for too long could lead to excess stress on the economy and prolonged hardships for lower and middle class who need to work to reach ends meet” which brings a very fair point as this is an extremely unsustainable lifestyle for many American citizens. 

Next, Jacob Seigel (a sophomore) introduces his thoughts on the protests. He states, “I think there's bound to be backlash no matter what the government's response is, but I find the protests irresponsible. I understand people’s concern for the economy but I don’t believe that a number price can be put on a human life. By putting in place these orders, state governments are saving countless lives by limiting the movement of people within their jurisdiction”. He brings about a very compelling argument that has been heavily debated. While conducting these protests may be irresponsible and selfish, should there become a point where the line is drawn, and if so, where is that line?

It's no secret that views upon the matter seem to vary throughout political parties. Which brings us to the prevalent question of why certain groups may bring more passion towards these different areas?  Junior, Evan Ackerman, brings in a very strong point when talking about priorities and where they lie. He says, “It’s all about priorities and everyone’s got the same goals. Everyone just has contrasting opinions on how and what order to achieve them.” He’s extremely correct in this statement as all anyone wants is pure health and peace, though what seems to separate us is our opinions on what order we should get there. 

Now, Isha Dave, a sophomore, shares her opinion on the protests and the potential effect of them. She claims that “... the protests most likely will not prove effective since over time I hope that people will realize that we need to continue social distancing so that our healthcare system isn’t overwhelmed.” She also adds, “These protests are fighting against so many opinions given by healthcare workers, it is going against everything they’re saying. I think people should listen to the facts coming from doctors and researchers so we can come out of this situation safe and healthy.” which is absolutely true. Our society should be trying to find a median between keeping sanity through distant interactions and respecting the words of frontline workers who have a better understanding of the virus’ effects than anyone. 

Last but not least, sophomore Gillian Storch shares that “...as time goes on, people will realize the severity of reopening the country. With more people being infected from the virus, more families are being affected. As a result, people will see that the virus needs to continue to be controlled, reopening the country and not allowing for social distancing will have the opposite effect”. There is no doubt that she is right, as time goes on, skepticism and anxiety flourishes causing even wider panic, but at what point will we accept victory and move on with a solid piece of mind? 

This national controversy continues to grow as tensions continue to tighten. Despite the danger they put themselves in, we should appreciate their exercisement of their rights to fight for what they believe in. It’s difficult to make the right call, let alone know what the right call truly is which is why we should stay patient, do our research, and trust in the words of the people experiencing this tragedy first hand.