DETROIT – The weather in Michigan is beautiful for Memorial Day weekend and the state has started to slowly reopen as coronavirus (COVID-19) cases decrease. But the large crowds suggest residents are relaxing too much about the dangers still posed by the virus.
Health officials across the country have expressed concern about the crowds popping up in many places.
Everyone has been cooped up for months, and now the weather is turning a corner. People are ready for the restrictions to end.
But we have to remember, the coronavirus has not gone away.
The initial goal was to flatten the curve, and we’ve done that. Flattening the curve means spreading out the number of cases so that there are enough hospital beds and medical workers to care for everyone and more time to find treatments.
With a flatter curve, the same number of cases eventually occur, but they’re spread out over a longer period of time.
Michigan is still reporting hundreds of new cases every day, and because of how the disease spreads and how long it takes to get sick, those cases reflect what we were seeing two to three weeks ago, not now.
Seeing crowded spaces suggests people are relaxing too much and underestimating the potential amount of virus that could still be circulating in our communities.
The best way to reduce your risk is to limit contact with people outside of your family, as much as possible.
When you’re around other people, stay at least six feet away.
When you’re out in public around others, wear a mask. Remember, a mask is most effective at protecting others from you. That means others need to wear masks to help protect you.
If you get somewhere and it’s crowded and there are people who aren’t wearing masks, don’t stay. Each of us needs to be constantly assessing our own risk and making smart decisions to lower that risk.
We will be monitoring the numbers closely in the coming weeks to see what happens, but everyone has a role to play in helping to keep the numbers down, which is ultimately what everyone wants to see.