I tried to put an end to the Lost & Found Year(s) COVID Trip Report until I saw dumb shit start happenin’. The latest lockdown is dumber than Vanilla Ice tryin’ to rap again. For those who may be visiting Puerto Rico, take note that starting Friday the new curfew will be 10PM to 5AM, and all businesses will close at 9PM. The governor cites the uptick in COVID cases for instituting this measure. This pointless measure is another example of how the government has no clue how to handle the pandemic, despite dealing with it for over a year.
The reason that cases are on the rise is not because businesses are open past nine. COVID doesn’t appear like a werewolf when the clock strikes a certain hour. And, contrary to what many residents of Puerto Rico say, the spike in cases is not solely attributable to tourists, who are all pictured as drunk degenerates refusing to wear a mask. Yes, there are those jerks. However, there are also family and friends of locals who visit from the US, don’t quarantine, and do not wear masks around their not-so-immediate household. “He’s my cousin from Miami, she’s my sister from New York, how could they give me COVID?” Then the numbers spike after the Easter weekend and everyone is shocked. ” It is not a coincidence that prioritizing the health and well-being of the citizens is a priority after the government grabbed all those spring break dollars.
Puerto Rico could have been like New Zealand by implementing strict measures from the beginning (see Infected Tourists Are Coming to Puerto Rico). Instead, it implemented nonsensical, random measures (see No Alcohol Sales on the Weekend, No Golf on Sunday: Another Stupid Lockdown Measure). For a time, there was a stay-at-home law on Sundays, the day that Boogeyman COVID always comes out to get us. Of course, this rule did not apply to holding Mass in sizeable groups on Sunday. For a time, the beaches were closed because what is more dangerous than miles of sand with plenty of room to social distance? Add in the swift sea breeze and it’s a wonder that the beach still isn’t closed seeing as how COVID has superpowers and can stay suspended in the air despite powerful wind gusts.
The schizophrenic strategy for dealing with COVID has taken its toll on my mental health. With the vaccination rollout going smoothly, I thought that life was finally going to get back to normal. Instead, we are going in the wrong direction and with no plausible explanation for why we are doing so. Exactly one year ago, I warned about the dangers of government overstepping civil liberties under the guise of protecting the interest of its people (see Puerto Rico’s Coronavirus Crackdown: Justified Or Unconstitutional?). We have been on lockdown since March of 2020. This crackdown is not justified. It’s time to sound the alarm on this abuse of power.
lolol. Everyone government everywhere failed Covid.
We hurt the healthy and the poor, so the old and rich could get more time on earth.
What a disaster.
Lockdowns do nothing, that’s published fact at this point.
Just fear. Pure fear
Initially, I bought into the hospital being overrun. But now? Over a year later? Enough.
@ George — What a disgusting comment. Yes, how dare the old be permitted to live longer. I guess you would just have people taken out back and shot at age 65.
What George said is so true. The only disgusting part was the It was the sacrifice made by the poorest segment of society to the richest segment of the population based on age.The people affected most by the lockdown were the young and healthy, whose mortality rate was miniscule. The poorest segment of society by age, they were already saddled with student debt, unaffordable housing, and poor job prospects. Not so much as a thank you from the rich old retired seniors sitting pretty with the housing and stock market boom.
I sat at home for over a year for what? I made that sacrifice because 1) we didn’t know anything about the virus 2) it was the socially responsible thing to do 3) where else would I have gone that was better than where I lived.
The mortality rate for young and healthy was miniscule but the negative mental impact was not. And that will not be going away anytime soon.
@Gene So you would prefer to hurt the poor and kids? If old, all you needed to do was stay home and you would be fine. Instead, we shut society down to benefit the old and infirmed.
the poor and the kids were the ones hurt by the lockdown. the old and rich made out on the backs of them.
As months went by, I believed that the vulnerable should be isolated and that those of reduced risk should go back to normal. I bought into what Dr. Katz was saying early on.
You really think life is going to be allowed to ‘go back to normal’? This is going to be milked for all it’s worth, for years to come.
You will ALWAYS be required to wear a mask, forever, both on planes and on any sort of transportation. Ask yourself: what would have to change for masks to go away on planes? There is no answer.
There will be COVID passports, and no vaccine=no life. It’s coming. Mark my words.
Normal is cancelled.
For all that it is worth and much more than that. Oh look, someone 35 years old died of COVID. Time for a reup on your COVID booster! Dollars Dollars Dollars!
I hope you are wrong about this mask forever policy. I will take whatever vaccine big brother wants to give me so I can have my ‘freedom’.
@ Pierre — Yes. Younger people have much longer time horizons to make up for the lost year. Old people do not. I do strongly disagree with the enrichment of the wealthiest. The most disgusting part of the government’s response has been the massive wealth transfer thanks to the Fed. I hope they have a plan to reverse course at the appropriate time.
I disagree with you Gene. The mental toll that this has taken is real. From the outside looking in, I am living the good life. But, the reality is these lockdowns and talks of the new strain killing everyone has left me mentally exhausted. I don’t give a shit if the next strain only kills Iraqis who live in Puerto Rico, I am not doing this again.
Should’ve moved to Alabama instead.
Maybe they want to discourage people to travel to Puerto Rico with all these lockdowns
Post spring break after they got paid. Yes, now don’t come. What a joke.
I encourage everyone to read my posts from February of last year on and see the misery that we went through. I discourage it because it’s depressing and it really shows that our leaders have no clue about what is going on. At least with the current administration, the vaccine rollout is light years ahead of schedule.
For those that don’t want to get vaccinated, I have little to say.