Facing an Unpleasant Reality as the Weather Improves

Eli Beer returns to Israel after recovering from coronavirus (Jerusalem Post)

I took a walk yesterday. It was a beautiful day in Chicago, well into the 70s. Wearing a mask, I walked just over a mile to my daughter Tovi’s house. I saw some of her younger children playing outside. I announced myself - while reminding them to stay a safe distance apart. They went into their house and told my daughter and son in law I was here and they came out.

We visited for a short while – staying well over six feet apart from each other. It was a refreshing change from what my wife and I have been used to over the last nearly 2 months of ‘sheltering in place’ at home. Felt good to see and chat with them in person instead of via Facetime,  Zoom, or just talking  over the phone.

What I observed on the way there and back was at the same time both satisfying and frightening. I live in West Rogers Park, which is primarily an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Chicago. It seems like cabin fever combined with the forced isolation we have all been going through has gotten to us all. 

Taking advantage of the weather, people were out in droves… taking walks as individuals, couples or families. Most of whom were not wearing masks albeit maintaining social distancing. There was also a fair amount of people congregating in groups – trying to stay 6 feet away from each other… but not really succeeding well at it. They seemed to be engrossed in friendly conversation – unwittingly inching closer to the point where they were surely less than 6 feet away in some cases. I saw many groups like this where most of the participants were not even wearing any masks.

This was very concerning to me as I kept walking – dodging people  that were walking in the opposite direction (sometimes veering into the street).

This is a problem that will not go away as the weather keeps getting nicer and people just want to get out and interact with neighbors and friends.

There is a dichotomy at play here. An awareness that this virus is a serious illness while at the same time realizing that most people that get it tend to  get over it with relatively minor symptoms. Or at most symptoms that are overcome the same way a typical flu virus would be overcome.

But the other side of this dichotomy is that this disease kills. And while the immune-compromised and elderly (over 60) are the most vulnerable and at greatest risk ( the older - the more at risk) clearly they are not the only ones getting so sick that they need hospitalization, intensive care, often placed on a ventilator in an induced coma. Many of whom do not make it!

There have been many stories where a perfectly healthy young person suddenly felt ill, and a day or two later had difficulty breathing, was hospitalized, placed in an ICU on a ventilator, and died shortly after - all within  few days!  

One such individual is 47 year old Eli Beer, the founder of Hatzalah in Israel. His story is all over the Jewish print and electronic media. This was a healthy individual that had no underlying issues. He did not smoke or drink, was not obese, and exercised regularly. But he caught the virus and quickly ended up hospitalized on a ventilator and in an induced coma for a month! He has miraculously survived and is now off the ventilator, but is still far from full recovery.

Those who survive those ventilators do not suddenly spring back to health. Even after going home, some of them require the aid of oxygen tanks to stay alive. They tend to come home weak and stay that way for quite some time. It is unclear whether will have sustained permanent damage to their lungs or not. (Hashem Yerachem!)

This is the scary part of COVID-19.

As is well known by now, this virus is passed mostly by asymptomatic carriers of the disease. Some of whom never experience a single symptom. Some of who only become symptomatic up to three days after being affected but still highly contagious. Anyone can become affected without knowing it. 

Most importantly - it is impossible to know how each individual will react to the virus – ranging anywhere between being totally asymptomatic - to dying rather quickly after being infected. That is why what I saw yesterday as I walked through my neighborhood was so scary. Made me wonder how many people I saw would God forbid catch the virus - and in a worst case scenario suddenly die from it!  

It seemed like very few of the people I saw had any thoughts about that. As though the entire mitigation exercise was excessive.

What they failed to remember it seems is that there have been deaths of people they likely know right here in Chicago. And that otherwise even healthy young people they also probably know had been placed on ventilators. And that while thankfully most of them have survived, long after being released from the hospital they remain weak and far from returning to what they once were.

Just to be clear, the people I saw yesterday crossed all Hashkafic lines. From Chasidic, to Yeshivish, to Centrist, to Left Wing Modern Orthodox. It didn’t really make any difference. They all seemed to be unintentionally throwing caution to the wind. Or at least not being as cautious as they should have been by at least wearing masks!

Of course the Orthodox Jewish community of Chicago is not alone. The entire world seems to be having cabin fever and getting out. Not wearing masks and totally ignoring any social distancing. Beaches in certain parts of the country were filled with people.

Additionally, there were a lot of angry people protesting the shutdown - without masks or any kind of social distancing. That might cause a spike in the number of people getting sick that might even be worse that what we have now.

This is not to minimize the dire situation of those protesting. Many people have lost their jobs or businesses. Most of which do not have enough savings to rely upon to survive more than a week or two. If you have no income and no bank account, you can’t buy food, or pay your rent or mortgage. What are you supposed to do?

But that doesn’t change the reality. The reality of a disease we still know so little about. And yet are so vulnerable to.

We should therefore continue to be diligent about protective measures. And not forget about the people they know suffering from their severe reaction to the virus. Nobody knows how the virus will affect them. In my view, assuming the worst is the most prudent way to proceed at this time. Better to be overly cautious than not cautious enough. 

This does not mean we should just stay at time and lock the door. We can and should get out. But we have to be smart about it.

Just some of my thoughts that come to mind after what I saw yesterday.