The Covid-19 virus is a serious issue, though it’s one that has barely been taken into account by much of the public. For almost a year now, Covid has been plaguing the United States. Cases are at an all-time high in our country, reaching upwards of 20,000 in late September. What can be done to finally keep this under control?

As of July, an order was called by the state governor Greg Abbott, to make masks mandatory in every county and city. However, many people do not wear masks and face no consequences. This is extremely dangerous. Just in Texas, around a million people have caught Covid-19, with upwards of 19,000 deaths from it.

A mandate that requires citizens to wear masks is only covering basic safety needs. All buildings should have a policy in place to only let in and serve those who wear masks. Recreational companies and locations should be closed. Regulations could be put in place for locations like grocery stores or supply stores, more heavily enforcing social distancing or lowering the number of people allowed inside the building at a time. The idea of a curfew or earlier shutdown time for open places would also ensure time for sanitation.

Texas has very high numbers of Covid-19 cases, with 10,000 or more for much of the past month. Hundreds of thousands of people across the country have died from this virus. It should not matter if a person has a pre-existing health condition or a disability for people to start caring about taking precautions. Wearing masks, keeping clean, distancing, and just staying inside is for the benefit of everyone. Just because a person is asymptomatic does not mean they don’t have the virus. Wearing a mask can prevent this from being further spread, or even being caught again.

It has been almost a year, people want to go out and do things. Going out with friends is something that a lot of people find important- having a social life means maintaining relationships. However, in a time where it is high-risk for people to catch a virus just because they leave their home to buy groceries, having big outings is not a smart choice.

Safety from a fatal pandemic is not something that should be even thought of something to oppose. A piece of fabric over the nose and mouth is the least anyone should do. Keeping oneself and others safe is the most important thing to do right now.