Who do you know?

At my annual physical in early February, my doctor said, "That virus in China will come here. We don't know when and we don't know how serious it will be, but it will come." And he cautioned me to boost my immune system. We talked strategy. I started doing what he told me to do.
When the media started getting excited about it in March, someone else I respect told me not to get too concerned. "The flu takes thousand of lives every year," she said. And I googled to find she was right. By then, the US was just in the hundreds. But I watched Italy. And I kept doing what my doctor told me to do. I boosted my immune system.
Months have followed with the president calling it a hoax, followers insisting the numbers are inflated, the media is "lying" and people refusing to wear masks. I'm still boosting my immune system.
The "hoax", the inflated numbers, the "media lying"??? Maybe you don't know people affected by this very virus or refuse to believe they are telling the truth. When friends tell you their family has been affected, their family members have died from this, they have had to quarantine due to exposure, their friend has died - they are working non-stop at an overwhelmed hospital. It's not a hoax or inflated or a "media lie". It's real. It's your friend. It's on your doorstep. And yes - I have friends who have lost love ones. I have friends who have had to quarantine due to exposure. I know someone who has been working in a Southwest hospital non-stop for months and has said since April "THIS IS NOT A HOAX!" It hits home for me.
I hate wearing a mask. I don't like breathing my CO2 and won't do it in the cold of winter to keep me warm under the blanket. I have to constantly remind myself that I love you enough not to kill you. Even if I don't love you, I love you enough not to kill you. And I am not stupid enough to believe I cannot carry or contract this virus. I trust my doctor over you. Sorry if that upsets you. I'm still boosting my immune system.
This is a new virus and much needs to be learned. Most flu virus' do subside in April and warmer months. This one is not.
It hurt a lot to have our business closed for 6 weeks. I'm growing increasingly frustrated that there has not been a consolidated plan to deal with this pandemic. The "pretend it's not a big deal" approach isn't working. Rational people know better. Germany and Denmark knew better. Iceland knew better.
If we want our economy to come back, we need a unified approach.
It is a "big deal". It is not a HOAX. The media is not "lying" unless they are telling you this is a hoax and not a big deal.