Covid-19 It’s a Hoax

 I keep hearing the message:” Mel, don’t be so concerned about Covid-19. It is a hoax. Last month I went to Texas to attend a Celebration of Life for my sister-in Law Elaine. It was a simple, yet profound ceremony at my brother John’s home. There were 28 of us there; three (3) of us wore masks. The message: The virus is not so bad; in fact, it is mostly a hoax. My sister Darline skipped the “mostly”. It’s a hoax, she was convinced. She cited as an example the deaths in the home for the elderly in her hometown. “We have had more than a dozen deaths in the home,” she affirmed. “They said it was all from the Virus. I don’t believe it for a minute. Those poor old people all died of loneliness! This whole thing is a hoax!” I have a good friend from church whom I admire. He scoffs at the idea of taking all these unnecessary precautions. His argument “We are all going to die sooner or later. What is so bad about dyeing now rather than later? I am happy to take my planned trip to Minnesota or Chicago or wherever. If I die it’s because my hour has come…And as far as our church is concerned, let’s get together NOW and worship as the family we are !” We have a President (for another few weeks ) who refuses to wear a mask, who gathers crowds, who wants everything open. He himself had Covid, People around hm by the tens are unable to come to work because they have the disease. His message, “Ignore it. If you just ignore it, it will go away. Just be as smart as I am: Recognize a hoax when you see one !” On TV news this evening I heard of a woman who had lost her husband and two other members of her family. Her conviction, “I don’t know what they died of, but I am sure it was NOT Covid. That Covid stuff is just bull --!” My reaction: I believe the health experts. I hear the number of deaths from Covid in the world, our country and San Diego County. And I wear my mask. I don’t have guests in my apartment. I pray for patience and an answer to my impatient prayer, “ From this deliver us, Heavenly Father.”