My Weekend Plea

Maddow: Don't get this thing. Do whatever you can to keep from getting it.

Rachel Maddow reveals that her partner, Susan, tested positive for Covid-19 and is still recovering, and implores viewers to consider their loved ones when they calculate their own Covid-19 risk. pic.twitter.com/oUz2DBLG63

— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) November 20, 2020

I know we all want to see our families, or the people we consider our families, this holiday season. I know it doesn’t feel right staying home instead of gathering together for Thanksgiving. I know it’s been a tough year. I know we need to be with each other more than ever. But, this year, we simply can’t. We can’t because we love them. We can’t because we’re in a goddamn global pandemic. And, despite being at this for eight plus months already, it’s only getting worse.

We all know this has been a horrible year. The desire to take small or even big risks is understandable. We’re exhausted. We just want to feel normal. But we’re doing this so we, and countless other people, can live to see an even better next year and year after that and many more.

We made the difficult decisions not to see our families for Thanksgiving. And I’m not going back to Indiana to visit my mother for Christmas, despite not seeing her in well over a year now. We’re going to celebrate the two of us, just our little household (plus the three cats and dog). And that will be enough.

The human cost has already been staggering. More than a quarter of a million people have died, and it’s not even really winter yet. This year has been monstrous in its grief, yet at this point we seem almost numb to the magnitude loss. But those are 250,000 families with someone missing from the holiday table forever.

This virus does not care if you are a Republican or a Democrat. It doesn’t care who you voted for or what you believe. Even if this thing doesn’t kill you, it will probably still be a struggle. You might have long-term consequences and serious ongoing health problems. Still if you are lucky enough to get a mild case, the person you go on to infect unknowingly may not.

So, please, heed Rachel Maddow’s words. The person who gets sick may not be you, it may be the person you care about most in the world. And then, there could be no more Thanksgivings together ever. Stay home for the holidays. Don’t gather with people from outside of your household. Keep social distancing. Keep washing your hands. And wear a damn mask. Be safe and save a life. Happy safe, healthy and righteous weekend, all.

p.s. Deleted those comments saying the flu is worse than COVID because this scientist's daughter isn't allowing dangerously deluded misinformation on her personal blog during a deadly global pandemic. Everyone has a right to an opinion, but not a platform. Fuck, and I mean this most sincerely, off with that bullshit.