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Your Freedom Is Not More Important Than Saving Lives Right Now

Thoughts about Americans during a pandemic.. from an American.

Tom Kuegler
4 min readApr 13, 2020
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

A few weeks ago, I was completely bearish on the coronavirus. I didn’t see the big deal.

More people die from the flu. Only 2–3% of folks die. What was the big deal?

Well, I was ignorant. That was the deal.

Public opinion as a whole started to shift as we saw the number of infected skyrocket in America, Spain, and Italy. It became clear to many of us that this was indeed something to take VERY seriously.

“Five people I know have died,” my friend said.

He just told me that five minutes ago on a phone call. I couldn’t believe it.

“Yeah, you can’t quite understand it until it happens to someone you know,” he said.

I felt terrible. I’m not going home anymore. I don’t want to give the coronavirus to my parents if I somehow contract it on an airplane. I’m staying put here in the Philippines, where there is a full lockdown in Luzon.

Only one person from my apartment can go out to get food or medicine. There is a curfew. There’s military checkpoints. People are following the rules. It doesn’t feel weird.

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Tom Kuegler
Tom Kuegler

Written by Tom Kuegler

Travel blogger. 30 years old. Currently in Mexico. Subscribe to my Substack: https://mindofawriter.substack.com/

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