People oblivious to the world around them are likely to take risks that can hurt them and others.

My family lives in Northern Virginia, and we took a trip to Virginia Beach to see the town, experience the wonders of the ocean again, and just spend some time out of the house. In terms of sights, experiences, food, and more, we got all we could ask for. But in terms of an education on why the US cannot shake the Coronavirus, we learned a lot even though we werent thinking of this as we headed out.

CV101 started when we parked near the beach. We donned our masks and stepped out of the car, and immediately noticed that almost no one else was wearing a mask. Now, it was a sunny and warm day and we didnt see big crowds or lack of reasonable distancing. But coming from the DC Metro where wearing a mask is the norm and not wearing mask is likely to get you accosted, this was surprising to us. As we walked around we noticed that all of the stores and restaurants had clear and big signage stating that masks were necessary for entry, so we let this pass and continued our day.

Our concerns were temporarily put to rest when we checked into the beautiful Cavalier hotel. All of the workers wore masks and gloves, and the check-in was done across a leather stanchion rope by workers clearly trained in staying safe and virus mitigation. During check in, we were told how our rooms would not be serviced during the day but that we could request anything needed and it would be brought to the room. But then, as we turned to walk to the elevators, we saw a middle-aged father and his three 20-something daughters with no masks on the girls, and the man barking to another check-in agent with a mask on his mouth but not nose. Then we saw another group of five or six people, also 20-something, dressed nicely for a time out but wearing no masks. We watched as the doorman, wearing a mask and gloves, opened the door for them to leave.

CV201 began after we left our room to experience the Virginia Beach boardwalk and beach. For those who may not know, the Virginia Beach boardwalk is a three-mile wide paved path for walkers with a parallel path for bicycle riders. Look to one side and see the beach and ocean, and the other side to see all kinds of commerce including restaurants, shops, and hotels. As we strolled on the boardwalk, it was shocking to see almost zero mask wearing by people who could not reasonably be claiming to exercise. The level of complacency with what is going on the country was disheartening at best. The boardwalk is wide but not wide enough to keep good distancing with plenty of people moving in each direction. All the stores along the boardwalk also had a lot of signs saying masks were required and yet we saw people everywhere entering and exiting stores and restaurants with no masks. At some point I started expecting people to chide us for wearing masks, but at least that didnt happen. We spent less time than we had hoped on the boardwalk largely because we did not feel comfortable enough to continue.

The education watching people ignore common sense behavior, resulting in school closings and a ... [+] weakened economy, was an unexpected result of a simple two day mini vacation.

After many more similar-experience hours of walking, eating, and enjoying the beach and ocean, we enrolled into CV301 when we went to dinner at a restaurant along the way home. Its a nice family Italian place we had been to before, usually on trips to Kings Dominion park. The doors had signs clearly saying that masks were required for entry, and we were greeted with a server in a mask that directed us to a table. We noticed that a lot of tables had reserved signs on them, and realized that this is how they were enforcing distancing in the dining areas. The menus were available via a QR code taped on the table. We sat at a table far from others thanks to this, so the restaurant gets high marks for doing things right. We can't say the same about the patrons, however, as most people we saw getting take-out pizzas and more walked in without masks to pay for and pick up their food. Then, we watched as a family of four walked in with no masks, and were seated at a properly distanced table. My wife asked the nice server how they deal with people who come in without masks. She told my wife the manager usually takes care of this, but he isn't here tonight. I get cussed out all day by people when I ask them to put on their masks. It struck us as unfair to put this high school or early college aged woman in the position to have to enforce a policy, and not surprising at all that rather than deal with it, she would choose to not create the conflict. Yet in the process, servers are putting themselves into potentially more danger. We thought we were done with our education when we left, but we had one more surprise coming.

CV401 started when we pulled off the highway to get some gas and use the restroom. We stopped at a well-lit gas and convenience store complex, and my wife waited in the car while my son and I went inside. We saw people in the store wearing no masks, standing very close to each other in the checkout queue, and bumping into each other in the crowded aisles. We quickly walked to the restrooms and left, wearing our masks of course. My wife told us that while we were in the store, she saw a dozen people walk in and walk out, not a single one wearing a mask. And yet the door signs were clear - masks required for entrance. We had graduated with honors in the class of finally figuring this out.

People are being blind to the effect of mask guidance, and this is slowing our economy and stopping ... [+] us from controlling virus spreading.

It looks like this: many people either dont know or dont care about the common sense guidance given to limit the spread of this virus. Many, but not all, of the oblivious people we saw were young. Yet this behavior is why the virus is not contained and likely wont be, why our kids cant safely go to school in a few weeks, and why the economy will stay mired in a quagmire. The fix is not changing what would should do, but actually doing it! On airplanes and in theme parks, places Ive also visited and written about, the enforcement is real and the consequences of non-compliance matter. While my wife was driving the final miles home, I read a story about Delta Airlines flight that returned to the gate when several passengers refused to wear their masks onboard. Bravo, Delta, as one way to change behavior is to provide a meaningful consequnce to non-compliance.

Yet while airlines and theme parks and likely other places can enforce rules or effectively not allow participation, its hard to ask a restaurant or small business owner to reject business when it has undoubtedly faced huge shortfalls in revenue over the past months. And why should the onus be on them anyway? We are all tired of being at home all of the time, wearing masks out, using hand sanitizer, and not seeing family and friends too. Whats worse is that people have died and will die from this virus. Our kids cannot return to school making us unable to return to work as normal. Come on, people. We can do this. If what we learned in these lessons is commonplace in the hotspots, its no wonder were losing this fight. Stop being selfish and put on your mask and wash your hands so we can all get back to life, work and school! As individuals we can enjoy our freedom while recognizing that we get this freedom because we all agree to behave in certain ways. Right now, some of that means wearing a mask and being conscious of others around you in regards to transmitting a scary virus. Compared to this simple trip, I cant wait to be on an airplane again to feel really safe!

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A Trip To Virginia Beach Showed Why We Arent Beating This Virus - Forbes