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Can we just opt out?

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be over by summer.”

‘I t’ll That’s the big hope everyone seemed to have when the coronavirus first started ruining our good time. They (and by “they” I mean everyone from government officials to medical experts to the know-it-alls on Facebook) believed with all their hearts that the summer heat would spell the end of COVID-19, much like the flu season, which ends in the late spring and returns each fall with some fantastic new mutation.

But summer is here, folks, and so, still, is the coronavirus. In fact, it hasn’t really even slowed down. So, what does that mean for the fall, when the flu does come back? I’m no expert (I didn’t even go to Facebook Medical School like some of my online friends) but it does not sound good.

A phase I’ve been hearing a lot lately is “opting out”… it’s making the rounds on what to do about school and sports and the “in person vs. doing it remotely” debate. We have a choice as to whether or not our daughter will be in person or online when school starts back in a couple of weeks. We’ve been back and forth, but I think, for now at least, we’re opting out of on-site classes when she starts ninth grade – maybe just for the first few weeks anyway.

Baseball is back in case you haven’t noticed. Oh, and basketball, too. After months without any sports, fans can finally see all their favorite stars in action once again… sort of. You see, not everyone is back on the field or on the court. Many MLB and NBA stars are opting out of the restart.

Baseball all-stars like Ryan Zimmerman, David Price, Buster Posey and others are sitting this season out for various COVID-19 concerns. They have pregnant wives, immune-compromised loved ones, and medical conditions of their own to consider, so they’ll be at home (still collecting their multimillion-dollar salaries) this season as teams try to play (teams have already had to cancel games over positive tests).

The NBA is seeing the same thing. They actually did something quite interesting when they restarted their season with about a dozen games to go. Any team that was out of contention for the playoffs simply isn’t going to play.

There are only 16 spots in the postseason, so the eight bottom teams, with no shot at a berth in the bracket, were told to just stay home. Also staying at home are players from contending teams like Trevor Ariza, Avery Bradley, and DeAndre Jordan.

Again, they’ll still get paid. They’ll still get credit for their service on their contracts. They’ve just opted out.

It’s too bad we all can’t just opt out.

Can you imagine a doctor or a policeman or a teacher having the option of just opting out while the coronavirus pandemic is still happening? What’s that? Your house is on fire? Well, sorry, sir, our fire department has opted out of fighting fires due to COVID-19 concerns.

I need an ambulance.

Oh, dang. It turns out the EMTs are all opting out of ambulance runs because of the coronavirus.

It doesn’t even have to be someone on the first responder list. What if the postman or the sanitation crew or, God forbid, the Amazon delivery driver wanted to opt out for the duration? And why can’t they? Why do we the people not have the option of staying home, staying safe and still being able to survive financially?

That’s socialism! Right?

That’s what some folks like to say. When the $600 unemployment bonus went into play, you heard the same thing. You’re paying people not to work! Well, the unemployment bonus is gone now (maybe forever), so are you happy now? I guess a few folks will just opt out of eating or paying their light bills.

It’s all a hoax! I’m calling that one opting out of reality. Tell that to the families of the 20 people here in Crittenden County who have died from the coronavirus. I suppose their loved ones just opted out of living?

The best “opt out” I’ve seen so far was over the weekend. The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves were getting ready to play Sunday afternoon and no one could find Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. Finally, about midway through the game, they checked on him at his hotel. He was gone.

Seeing the Mets lose game after game and deciding it wasn’t worth the effort or the risk, he just decided to opt out and not tell anyone. He just went home.

Must be nice. I think we should just “opt out” of this whole year!

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