Point of View: Why is coronavirus getting worse?

LOS ANGELES - Back in March and April, we didn’t know how bad COVID-19 could get. We all hung on the words of Governor Newsom and Mayor Garcetti as they held daily news conferences.

When they ordered us to close businesses and stay at home until we could get this under control, we complied. LA streets looked like Mayberry for a few weeks.

Fast forward to today when the pandemic is killing more people than it was in March. The Governor and the Mayor are still talking, but they seem to have lost the room. They issued another stay at home order last week, but traffic is about the same as it was before the order. Why aren’t we listening anymore?

Perhaps some feel being told to wear a mask and stay home feels like an assault on their rights as Americans. We’ve accepted, "No shoes, no shirt, no service," but if you add, "No mask, no service," suddenly our rights are being trampled.

Others choose to believe Coronavirus doesn’t really exist and its fake. It’s more convenient to believe it’s just the flu.

When we see huge parties in close quarters, or people not wearing masks, it isn’t because they haven’t been informed and don’t know how to protect themselves and others. They just don’t care and they aren’t going to follow the rules.

The Governor and the Mayor are making a sincere effort, but maybe we’re not listening anymore because frankly, their orders have no teeth. For example, Mayor Garcetti said that when these huge parties in private homes are reported and verified, they would turn the water and power off – three or four days later. That’s a useless penalty. The water and power should be shut off during the parties and there should be a fine of $5,000 to the homeowner to get them turned back on after a 10-day waiting period.

The catchphrase of Covid-19 is "We’re all in this together," but we’re not. If we were, we would all be wearing masks and not going to parties.

We have been educated. We have been warned. The rest is up to us. But if we continue to be selfish and foolish, we may still be dealing with COVID-19 this time next year.

What do you think? Should people be held more accountable for failing to uphold the social contract we have with each other? If so, how? If not, why? Call and tell us.

What do you think about this? Call 310-584-2030 or email me at fox11pov@foxtv.com. 

I’m Bill Lamb…and that’s my Point of View.

The views expressed are not necessarily those of the station or its employees.