Had this woman say two things to me. One, she said that she thought the China virus was here a couple months before. Then she said that she didn't understand why governments were ordering closings.
I asked why she thought the virus was here months before what they are saying.
I asked why she thought the virus was here months before what they are saying.
She stated. "Because everyone in my office had something this winter."
I asked how big her office was. She said about 150 people but only 50 people at one time.
I asked how did she know they were sick.
She said because I saw and heard them in the office.
I asked how big her office was. She said about 150 people but only 50 people at one time.
I asked how did she know they were sick.
She said because I saw and heard them in the office.
I said "I don't know if the virus was here months before but I don't think so since we didn't see any major hospitalizations. However, as far as your second question goes you just answered it, yourself."
She looked at me blankly. It was clear she didn't understand.
She looked at me blankly. It was clear she didn't understand.
So I explained it. "You work in an office with 150 people. 50 of which are there during your shift and over the course of a month or so pretty much ALL of the sick came to work and probably caused many to get infected.
She said but it was just a cold. Nothing to stay home over.
She said but it was just a cold. Nothing to stay home over.
And there you go. It's ingrained in us to work through a cold. That unless we are "really" sick we should go to work, shake it off. Many of us can't afford to miss a day due to sickness, let alone an entire week. Some of us work in jobs where our employer would fire us or
"hold" it against us if we called off sick. Many of us take pride in the fact that we don't take "sick days" and just "tough it out". For those of us that get paid vacation/sick leave many would rather work sick to save the "sick day" as a vacation day.
Since this virus causes mild symptoms in most of the low risk groups, the vast majority of those that have the virus would be at work today, spreading the virus, "working through" the "cold". It's just part of our culture. There is absolutely no way to stop that except closing
...down businesses. There is not one person, I know, that would stay home if all they had was a cough and a temperature. Most of the people, I know, would be at work unless they were unable to get out of bed or in an emergency room/hospital.
We, as a country, don't stay home because we have the sniffles. It's just not who we are. This virus would have a field day in our culture. Just to be clear, I'm not saying to close everything down was the right decision. I'm saying there was a strong reason behind it.
