For the most part, continue on as usual. As of press time, there are no cases of COVID-19 in Northern Arizona.
Symptomatically, COVID-19 is akin to a bad flu strain with fever and a dry cough and, in a few cases, breathing problems.
There are more contagious and more common upper respiratory diseases currently circulating, so it’s likely that many people who get sick in the next month or so will have these strains — or flu or other diseases — that will erroneously be assumed as COVID-19.
That being said, be cautious. Don’t be crazy. Buy what you need but don’t be a jerk to your neighbors.
While at a store on Sunday, March 15, a woman in front of us in line had five large packages of toilet paper. She told the cashier that she knew her purchase was irrational, but, “whatever, I need this, just in case.” Meanwhile, in the lane adjacent, a tourist couple had a package of party napkins and distraught expressions because they had looked in the paper aisle and apparently not seen the pallet of toilet paper in the back of the store.
Surely the woman ahead of us could have lessened her knee-jerk, irrational purchase and helped a stranger, but she did not.
There is no reason to buy 20 cases of toilet paper. You wouldn’t use that much in a year, so you’re not going to use that much in the next two weeks.
There is also no reason to buy 10 gallons of milk or 30 loaves of bread. Your refrigerator is still the same size it was a month ago, so you likely can’t shove that much more food into it. All that extra food you bought will go bad if you don’t eat it, which means you’ve not only wasted money, you may have made it difficult for others to get a dozen eggs or a loaf of bread.
Late Sunday, March 15, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Katie Hoffman announced that all schools in Arizona will be closed through Friday, March 27.
While this is seemingly “wise,” the problem health professionals pointed out is that with those kids at home, many parents have to stay home, too. Many of those parents are doctors, nurses and medical professionals.
So now, through no fault of their own, hospitals will be understaffed by the employees they need right now.
Likewise, Ducey issued a very cryptic and frankly misleading tweet Sunday, stating that “Arizona is following @CDCgov‘s new guidance that large events and mass gatherings be canceled. Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings & other types of assemblies.” The statement appears to claim that public gatherings are prohibited. However, Ducey failed to state what the penalty would be.
State troopers arresting people attending church?
Local police loading wedding parties into paddy wagons?
Ducey failed to cite any Arizona Revised Statute or federal law that would permit state officials to ban public gatherings — because no such law exists.
Why? No governor in any state has the legal right nor the authority to prohibit Americans’ right to assemble, especially on private property, which is protected by the First Amendment.
If private property owners of bars, restaurants, wedding venues or churches choose to limit public gatherings, that is their right. The government cannot demand it other than pre-existing limits on maximum occupancy of a building.
The government cannot ban private gatherings by fiat.
If we allow governments to impose blanket, unlawful restrictions in defiance of the rule of law then future “crises” will become commonplace to “protect the public” and we will find ourselves facing arbitrary restrictions on movement or public assembly because government officials do not like opponents or protestors.
Staying safe is simple.
- Wash your hands often.
- Cough into your elbow so you don’t cough onto other people.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Try to stay more than three feet apart in public, which is the average “bubble” most people have when in public anyway.
- If you feel sick, stay home. If you think you are sick or going to get sick, do not go out.
- Self-quarantine if that’s what you feel you must do.
Do not freak out and cancel events for no reason.
If you host events or host them on your property, let residents decide for themselves if they want to go. Attending a movie or going to a bar for a drink may be worth the risk. If you are healthy and generally in good health, there is little for you to fear.
Christopher Fox Graham
Managing Editor
