Covid has changed everyone’s lives. Although the hospital overruns we feared never materialized, COVID has killed 3300 Illinois citizens. It’s serious, and the numbers will inevitably increase.
It’s now illegal to visit a friend, go into public without a mask, or operate a “non-essential” business. YCP follows all local laws, and we will not be holding events in Illinois while the Governor’s orders are in place.
That said, we will be hosting events in other states after its legal to do so because covid isn’t going away, parties are healthy, and we trust other state’s experts.
#1. Covid isn’t going away.
There is no magic timeline where we cross from “irresponsible event” to “responsible event.” If someone’s benchmark is that they will never attend an event as long as Covid is a threat, they might as well hang up their fishnets and pasties. They’ve attended their last event.
Covid will still exist in 2021 and beyond. There is no guarantee that an effective vaccine will be developed, but even if one is, Covid will remain a threat for a very long time.
#2. Parties are healthy.
Ask yourself one question, and answer honestly. Do you feel as healthy and happy as you did three months ago?
Just as seeing friends, laughing, and dancing was healthy pre-covid, it still is.
Mental health groups are warning that there may be as many deaths from the quarantine as from covid itself. There are numerous articles about anti-anxiety medication, alcohol, and junk food sales, all skyrocketing. People are hurting and self-medicating their depression.
In New York, they discovered that 66% of people hospitalized with Covid were self-isolating at home. They weren’t essential workers who were exposed continuously. They were people following orders, sitting inside their apartment, probably binge-watching Netflix.
That’s no surprise. When you look at hospitalization data for covid, the people whom Covid affects most are elderly or have preventable types of chronic disease. The types of ailments people get when they aren’t physically active and have a poor diet. The very same lifestyle a quarantine forces people to have.
#3. Illinois is doing what they think is best, but it’s no guarantee they are right.
There is no reason to assume Illinois’ covid response is better than Indiana’s (for example) simply because it’s more severe. On any covid data point, Illinois is not doing better than states with less restrictive “social distancing” measures.
Our state government is doing what they believe will save the most lives, and that’s commendable. But I trust the state of Indiana, Iowa, and others just as much.
So when other states open, we will be holding events there. It is up to you to decide if you’d like to attend or not.
Please remember this. Sacrificing your own physical and mental health will not help anyone. You have people in your life who depend upon you to be healthy and happy. For me, that’s my wife and daughter. I cannot be a good husband or father if I’m depressed, tired, and hopeless. I will be all three of those things if I sit in my house for as long as Governor Pritzker is asking me to.
Sources below…
3300 deaths. Half in nursing homes
75,000 at risk of dying from overdose or suicide due to social distancing
66% of new york covid hospitalizations were social distancing