{"id":224659,"date":"2020-07-19T14:09:50","date_gmt":"2020-07-19T18:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=224659"},"modified":"2020-07-19T14:12:04","modified_gmt":"2020-07-19T18:12:04","slug":"peoples-reaction-to-covid-19-depends-on-origin-and-respect-for-authority-but-also-on-ideology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/world\/peoples-reaction-to-covid-19-depends-on-origin-and-respect-for-authority-but-also-on-ideology\/","title":{"rendered":"People\u2019s reaction to COVID-19 depends on origin and respect for authority, but also on ideology"},"content":{"rendered":"

Help us keep OnCuba alive<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

George is a Miami City police officer. In recent weeks, he has a new responsibility. In addition to his daily patrols in the eastern part of Little Havana\u2015an area that has more and more Central American immigrants every day, where he deals with petty crimes, domestic disputes, young people roaming the street during school hours and fights in the markets\u2015, he has now been ordered to fine people who go outside without a mask to protect themselves from COVID-19.<\/p>\n

The mayor of Miami the mandatory use of the facemask two weeks ago, but the measure didn\u2019t have great results because they were sold out in pharmacies. The authorities were not demanding enough when applying the fines, a first one of 50 dollars, followed by 150, 500 and jail time. In both the city and the county, there was no ordinance approved by commissioners and councilors, but only an order from the mayors.<\/p>\n

As a consequence, the epicenter of the pandemic moved to South Florida and the contaminated and deaths increased. Not only because of that, but also because the political authorities in the area, pressured by Governor Ron DeSantis, decided to open the economy and services. The number of new infections was so high that all records were broken. Now there are 77,867 infected and 1,270 dead.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Rows of cars wait for a coronavirus test outside Hard Rock Stadium on June 26, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo\/Wilfredo Lee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to George and a group of colleagues, the basis of this problem is that most people don\u2019t wear masks, despite the danger this represents. This, he says, has basically to do with three things. \u201cPeople don\u2019t respect authority, they don\u2019t see themselves represented in the mayors and they don\u2019t believe what they are told. It\u2019s a question of getting information. And the press is more concerned with the consequences of the disease, with scandalous figures, than with explaining to the public the need to obey the authorities\u2019 orders,\u201d George said. \u201cTheirs is the spectacular nature of the consequences of the epidemic, not the way to combat it. Attract readers and listeners, not educate people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor has ordered the police to form persuasion and outreach groups, but they didn\u2019t have much impact either. Now the mayor has plans to reinforce these patrols but without great hope, because the public has very different convictions on how to react. For example, if they catch a person more than three times without a mask, they could end up in jail. And this often has to do with their ethnic origin.<\/p>\n

Marcos Gonz\u00e1lez is a Nicaraguan sociologist from Texas with long experience in hospital and university issues. During the pandemic, he has closely followed people\u2019s behavior towards a disease about which little is known. \u201cThe reaction to this tragedy is very different, and has to do with the education and personality of the people. On the one hand, politicians, who are supposed to be leaders, move in a country a little different from the others. A central, federal government is in some ways supplanted by state governments. Some states have more influence over their citizens, and therefore their instructions are taken more into account,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Muertes por COVID-19 rozan el millar diario en EEUU, con Florida al frente<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n