God’s Got You Covered

Schools are opening despite a steep rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths. In the coming weeks 51 million students will return to school and have to balance learning with health concerns. Schools don’t have the budgets to truly create safe learning environments. Some teachers are given a single bottle of sanitizer and told they must supply any other needs themselves.

In Dallas Georgia, Hannah Watters, a North Paulding High School student, took a photo of a crowded hallway as students waited to get to class. Few students had masks on, and there was no social distancing. The student who took that photo was suspended. After the photo went viral, the principle revered his decision.This student however is getting threats online from fellow students. One student pointed out in an online  group that he knows where she lives. Another said she will have a rough day come Monday. Three days after the photo was taken, 9 students tested positive for COVID-19. The school is having to shut down to disinfect.

In another viral photo, a young girl was surrounded by her smiling parents and she held up a sign that said, “Take your mask off, God’s got you covered.” That judgemental sign must have been dictated by her parents. Anti Maskers are emboldened by our sad excuse of presidential leadership in Trump. Anti maskers claim the crisis is overblown, the death rate is minuscule and only affects the weak, and it’s time to stop living in fear. They are tired of social isolation and want everything to magically return to normal. They believe the COVID-19 scare is a hoax designed to destroy America and that masks are for wimps. They say open the bars, open the malls. Time to party! God’s got y’all covered! So many of my Florida neighbors share these selfish sentiments. I avoid them like the plague.

Rather than love, this un-Christian message conveys self-righteous. It made me wonder how Jesus might have my back. Would he protect me from the unseen virus with his hands? Then I thought, well, his hands wouldn’t make the best mask since the hole from the nail that punctured his palms would let in plenty of virus.

Anti-maskers are rebelling against even the simplest guidelines, while teachers and other staffers say they won’t go to work if schools aren’t safe. About 28% of public school teachers are over age 50, making them especially vulnerable to the virus. Many would rather retire that risk their health. Teachers want  widespread testing of students, staff and visitors for the virus. In Orange County Florida, all 212,000 students learning online for first 9 days of the school year.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams addressed those who don’t want to wear a mask: “taking these public health measures will help you be able to do more of the things that you enjoy, worship, school, restaurants.”