ENTITLEMENTS

By
Jay Brown
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A version of this column, from the weekly opinion piece MATTER OF FACT, first appeared on BrooklynReporter.com, the Home Reporter and Spectator dated November 20, 2020

With the citywide COVID-19 positivity rate reaching the three percent threshold, it was announced on November 18 that all schools would close the following day. When it comes to containing COVID-19 to a level that allows us to limit restrictions, we are only as strong as our weakest link.

In a November 11 tweet, Republican Councilman Joe Borelli of Staten Island bragged that he would “be having more than 10 [people] at [his] house on Thanksgiving” and his “kids will see their grandparents,” in violation of restrictions prohibiting indoor gatherings of more than ten.

Fellow Republican Borough President Jimmy Oddo criticized Borelli, saying, “You have to live your values, and to me, over the last eight months, in this hyper-opinionated age, my North Star is science.” Oddo recalled how during the early days of the pandemic he stood outside his childhood home to speak with his ailing mother, adding, “I will not be spending Thanksgiving — my brothers will not be coming in and sitting around the same table.”

After two days of backlash, the Daily News published an op-ed by Borelli, titled, “Sorry, gov, I’m hosting a big Thanksgiving,” which he shared on Twitter by proudly announcing, “Doubling Down.” Borelli talked about how his uncle, a Korean War veteran, would have a seat at his table and told New Yorkers that if you have more than ten family members you want to invite to a holiday gathering, invite that many.

The Councilman touted how far we have come in reducing deaths, but as we hit record highs for new cases around the country and New York numbers continue to rise, hospitals will fill, care will be rationed, and the fatality rate will increase. Borelli notes that current city fatalities are “a far cry from the 26 who passed away in a single day on Easter, the last holiday [he] spent without [his] family.”

My kids have not seen their grandparents since the pandemic began. None of us are happy that birthdays have been relegated to video calls, but we will not risk my parents’ health or the health of others because we are upset we are missing the occasions we would normally gather for.

New York City Councilman Joe Borelli and New York State Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis

On October 3, a rally in support of President Trump, who had just confirmed he had tested positive for coronavirus, was held on Staten Island. The mass gathering was organized by Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who has since won her race to represent the borough in Congress. Videos of the event went viral, where hordes of people were packed closely together with hardly anyone seen wearing a mask.

Staten Island’s COVID-19 figures have all happened to consistently trend upward since that event took place. The positivity rate is high across the borough, but the three zip codes (10306, 10307, 10308) that are at or above 5 percent, are also the reddest zip codes that voted most overwhelmingly for Donald Trump this election. There is a clear correlation between areas where seeing high rates or viral spread and areas represented by Republicans like Borelli and Malliotakis, who are spreading the idea that public health guidelines can be ignored simply because it is your right to do so.

Throughout October and November, Borelli has frequently referred to the positivity rate as “a numbers game” and there has been a call for healthy Staten Islanders to get tested to drive down that number, which would clearly be an effort to play games with the data. Virologists agree that the positivity rate is a reliable indicator of an area’s rate of viral spread, but even if one accepted the premise those figures only amount to “a numbers game,” the fact is that all COVID-19 figures for Staten Island are on a steep, upward trajectory, with November 17 seeing 180 new confirmed cases and the highest one-day fatality increase in 4 months.

Staten Island’s positivity rate has been hovering at about twice that of the citywide number and holding a gathering of more than ten people there poses about a 20 percent chance that someone in attendance will have COVID-19.

A wedding held in Maine in August with 55 guests exceeded the state’s limit on group gatherings. One guest, who did not exhibit symptoms until the next day, caused an outbreak that infected more than half of the guests and over 170 in total, including seven deaths, none of whom were at the reception.

Much of the reason we are seeing far fewer fatalities is due to the fact more people are adhering to the guidelines. The strategy should continue to be to prevent the virus from spreading unabated, not to wait until the situation becomes untenable and then react.

“Refusing to do what is needed for the greater good, because it is hard, is lazy, entitled, and irresponsible.”

Dr. Scott Atlas is President Trump’s leading pandemic advisor. Atlas is not an immunologist or virologist or an infectious disease expert. He is a radiologist. In a November 15 tweet he said, “The only way this stops is if people rise up,” in response to Michigan Governor Whitmer’s increased restrictions to stem the exponential spread of the virus in her state. Dr. Fauci’s reaction was, “I totally disagree with the stand he takes.”

A recent survey from Ohio State University found that 38 percent of Americans say they plan to gather in groups of 10 or more people this holiday season. We need leaders who will promote public safety, not encourage people to violate public health mandates.

During World War Two, Londoners hid underground at night while their city was bombed. People, let alone elected leaders, did not roam the streets during the Nazi blitz, encouraging others to do the same, because it is their right. They sacrificed to protect themselves and others. Refusing to do what is needed for the greater good, because it is hard, is lazy, entitled, and irresponsible.

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