Serving a super spreader

A trip last week through downtown Geneva was alarming. Many bars and restaurants were open for business as usual. Not only were these local business owners defying a statewide ban on indoor dining to help stop the spread of COVID19, but they were also doing so with reckless disregard for the safety of their staff, patrons and all those these deniers will encounter.

Then, this happened. I received an email from the owner of Fox Fire with an invitation to join them for an in-person New Year's Eve event super spreader party while they are asking for donations and for the Illinois Supreme Court to overturn Gov. Pritzker's ban on indoor dining, which is guided by public health and science, because it could, in his words, "kill" their business."

I find his word choice repugnant. I am a health care professional, I consult with hospitals and health organizations across the U.S. and I am a small-business owner in Geneva. I hear the angst in the voices of public health officials, front-line health workers and hospital administrators begging us to do our part. I am sickened by the blatant disregard by those who believe their needs and wants matter more than doing what is right and responsible for the sake of public health.

Would losing a loved one to the virus change their minds or behaviors? I hope they don't have to find out. I also hope socially responsible people in our community will continue to stay the course, however difficult, inconvenient and challenging. Mask up, physical distance, order to-go to your heart's content and please continue to have patience until coronavirus is in our past. If we don't, it will be our future and downtown Geneva restaurants and bars will have little to no chance to recover.

Michelle Rathman

Geneva