UNITED STATES─I swear in my lifetime if I never hear the word ‘Coronavirus’ every again, it would make me the happiest person in the world. It’s like everywhere you go all you hear people talk about is Coronavirus and I feel like people are literally taking this so called epidemic to new lengths. I mean people are purchasing face masks by the masses, hand sanitizer is hard to find, people are purchasing toilet paper by the masses, the list goes on and on.

America, stop, pause, take a moment, it’s NOT the end of the world. Wearing a face mask is NOT going to protect you from the virus. The virus can travel airborne. You might have your face covered, but not your ears people. People are just taking this ‘crisis’ way too far in my personal opinion. Don’t fly, don’t travel, don’t take a cruise (that one I might take a seriously), but here’s the one that gets me the most: don’t touch people.

There is a reason that this virus is spreading like a wildfire, people are not thinking and using common sense America: wash your damn hands. If people weren’t so quick to just do things without thinking about the repercussions of what they’re doing we wouldn’t have such a big problem America. For starters, you should ALWAYS wash your hands after using the bathroom, when outdoors, and when you’re about to eat.

I have heard so many people say, “Oh, I’m washing my hands so much more now because of the Coronavirus.” What? Are you telling me you weren’t washing your hands before? That is just damn discussing people. Wash your freaking hands. That is just one of the ways to prevent the spread of virus and bacteria in general. On top of that, if you’re sick stay at home! I just cannot fathom why so many people just cough or sneeze in the open air as if it’s not a big deal. It’s common sense and that is what disturbs me the most.

No one wants to get sick because you got sick, cover your mouth, sneeze into your elbow, clean your hands and just be smart about where you are in open spaces. If you’re uncertain about shaking someone’s hands, then simply don’t do it. However, I’m not about to just clamor into the house and hunker down because we’re hearing the media talk about the coronavirus and hyping this thing up to be way bigger than what it is.

It is got damn alarming as hell, like I wouldn’t call it propaganda, but why such hype about this. Not even the flu was hyped up as much as this virus that seemed to have come out of nowhere, but this spread of an epidemic reaching the United States has everyone little on eggshells. I wonder if this is all just hyped so that when a vaccine is discovered, the pharmaceutical companies can charge outrageous amounts to the consumer to load their pockets bigger than what they already are.

It feels like no one is out there calling this epidemic exactly what it is: bigger than what it actually is. Why are we instilling fear in people? Why are we making people think they need to rush out and purchase items that aren’t really going to protect them from actually contracting the virus? I mean where is the honesty America? Is anyone willing to call BS on the issue? Perhaps no one is, but I’ll be the first to say it, I’m not buying the hype. It is simple if you want to stay healthy, use COMMON SENSE, take preventive measures, and don’t travel overseas if you don’t have to until things are under control.

Written By Zoe Mitchell