Thread-Thoughts on #COVID19 in #SouthDakota. My home state that has not locked down and is seeing spikes in multiple communities. @govkristinoem has been praised for her lack of leadership & assertion that citizens will do the right thing. The numbers tell us differently.
1. Nationally 160,000 in 6 month since first reported death puts the death rate much higher than Flu. 135 COVID deaths in SD since 3/10. 217 flu death total 2017 (last report I could find)

2. If we are willing to politicize a disease is there anything that we won't politicize?
3. If you blame the #Media I urge you to read news from other countries. If you honestly don't trust the US media there are other outlets with no skin in Trump vs Media war reporting on the devastation of #COVID19 in their own countries. This is not #FakeNews
4a. We are seeing #Science happen in real time & that is messy and confusing for some which leads to false belief that #Scientists don't know what they are talking about. Usually this happens behind closed doors, in labs and the information is vetted prior to being released.
4b. The ability of virus to spread communally led to information being shared instantly. There is a difference between "Junk Science" and "Science Junk". Science Junk is when we learn something in the moment, facts change so we discard it and move on. Junk Science is harmful.
5a. Our freedoms are consistently dictated by the #Government at every level, #privatebusiness and even public citizens (Don't wear you shoes in my house). Most businesses won't let you enter shirtless so you wear a shirt.
5b. We allow Government to tell us not to text while driving & wear seatbelt to save lives-but we are questioning #WearAMask. If you take the "Us" vs "Them" out of the equation and boil it to saving lives like many other regulations and laws most other arguments lose value.
6a. We all want to go out. We all want to gather with our friends, share food, drinks, hugs. All. Of. Us. As a society we have lost the ability to be inconvenienced and uncomfortable and that is a shame.
6b. We are better as a people when we are willing to sacrifice for the greater good. Historically we have done this. In #SouthDakota we known for it. We are more often than not "good neighbors". Sadly we have chosen this battle to turn against that neighborly instinct.
7. We fool ourselves that we are invincible due to our sparse population. If you look at the numbers per 100k #SouthDakota has higher infection rate than Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and many other upper Midwest area states.
https://www.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases
8. The needs of the many should outweigh the wants of the few. Isn't that what our society was built on?

9. Many of the attendees at the 4th of July event at Mt Rushmore were from out of state and their tests are reported in their state thus not reflected in this state.
10. Can we PLEASE be better than "They got to do it, so I should get to do it too" That is immature and juvenile, can we agree on that?

11. Some of our smaller communities are now experiencing community spread. https://doh.sd.gov/news/coronavirus.aspx
12. With the #SturgisRally #SouthDakotaStateFair #SiouxEmpireFair #returntoschool and #HighSchoolSports on the horizon we are going to see another spike. Don't point fingers out, point them in and #DoTheRightThing #WearAMask #SociallyDistance #Washyourhands
/end/
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