COVID-19: Stupidity Rules

 (Drivebycuriosity) - The world is still struggling with COVID-19. In many European countries and the Americas the numbers of new infections, hospitalizations & deaths are going steeply up. The US are leading with more than 20 million known cases, rising daily by more than 200,000 infected on average.

 

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These numbers are unfathomable. Why do so many people still infect themselves? Why do they still take the risk? The end of the pandemic is around the corner! A number of vaccines exists since early November! In the US and a lot of other countries the vaccinations have already started! 

It would be smart and considerate to postpone risky activities till the dawning end of the pandemic. According to economist Tyler Cowen from Georg Mason University  "the expected value of delaying getting sick just went way, way, way up" (marginalrevolution).

Why couldn`t these people wait? Why do they still spread the pandemic and kill others (and sometimes themselves) when immunity is just around the corner? Why do they ignore the long term damages many of the survivors will suffer?

There would be no pandemic if people would behave smart & considerate and it would end in weeks if everyone would follow the rules. The virus jumps from person to person, it needs an intact chain. These chains could be broken by strictly performing social distancing (at least 6 feet distance),  wearing masks & washing hands (to avoid transporting the virus on the face). It seems that many people don´t understand these mechanism or they don`t care. Many refuse wearing masks in public, they ignore social distancing rules and what about washing hands properly? There is even a term for them: Covidiots.

Obviously some people behave like sheep. They don`t think, they don´t care. They do whatever they want, whatever it may cost to them and others. Apparently in many Western countries, and especially in the US, there is crowd with a "who cares" mentally. These people do not only ruin the lives of others by spreading the pandemic. 

They also ruin many businesses. Caution & fear are curbing businesses even more than lockdowns & quarantines ( nber). People who are smart and considerate stay at home and many industries, especially physical shops, restaurants & airlines, are suffering. There would be no Covid-19 recession without covidiots. 

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The corona spreaders need a shepherd and a shepherd´s dog, otherwise the pandemic will get out of control. Asia shows how that can be done, unfortunately the authorities in the West are too incompetent to protect their societies. 

In the US, Latin America & Europe the governments respond to timid and to lax, they avoid lockdowns - or implement them too late and with too many loopholes. They keep schools, gyms & churches open, giving the virus enough ways to surround the barriers. And many courts, including the US Supreme Court, nullify necessary decrees, like closing churches and other superspreader events. The result are spiking rates of new infections, hospitalizations & deaths. Stupidity rules.