David J. Danto

Business travel thoughts in my own, personal opinion

eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD

The Swimming Pool Of Life

One of the many life lessons we learn as children is that you can’t have a peeing section in a swimming pool. No matter how much anyone wants to isolate bad behavior in a shared resource, the science doesn’t allow it. The mess hits everyone.

As we adults approach the end of 2021 we are constantly being reminded of this lesson by the people who apparently never learned it. Whether it’s due to brainwashing by propaganda, a lack of common courtesy, political ambitions, the common disease of stupidity, or some combination of the four, we live in a world where our safety is compromised by a minority of idiots.

Of course I’m sadly still talking about COVID19. Never in history have so many stupid people fought for their right to get sick and die.

In January we will begin our third calendar year of dealing with this deadly virus. People are sick of having to deal with it, but they’re apparently either not aware that their complacency is still killing thousands of people a day, or they simply don’t care.

The way out of this mess is clear. Isolate people who will not take the most minimum actions to keep their fellow humans safe. If you do not want to get a vaccine or wear a mask (over BOTH your nose and mouth AND at all times) then you have that right, but you lose your right to leave your house. Stay home (or under the rock where you must live.) Order your groceries or meals to be delivered. Watch TV. Find a job where you don’t have to leave your house. Social activities other than those – where humans enjoy a full life – are a privilege that requires everyone to comply with standards. You can’t attend a school if you haven’t had your MMR shots. You can’t drive a car unless you’ve passed a road-test and received a license. You can’t fly on a commercial airplane without clothes. If you try any of those anti-social things then you’ll be arrested. That’s where we need to be to end COVID19:

· If you want to go outside wear a mask over your mouth and nose all the time.

· If you want to fly on an airplane, stay in a hotel or eat in a restaurant, then you need to show proof of vaccination.

Those two obvious ones above are for individuals, but in order to turn the tide of this thing we’ll need requirements for businesses as well – especial in the travel industry.

· If you want to retain your license to do business you will enforce mask mandates. Keep people out of your business if they are not masked. If they remove their mask then eject them. If you do not enforce the mandate then your business risks being shut down. Just as the bartender who sold the drinks to the drunk driver is liable for any deaths caused, the hotel and/or resort that doesn’t enforce their mask policy should be liable for any infections that happen on their property.

· If you want to operate a restaurant then provide outdoor seating (with heaters if necessary) or with full outdoor air ventilation.

Until those two requirements for businesses are universally enforced we will be stuck in the mire of COVID19 and its inevitable variants forever.

All the elite frequent flyers and hotel program members that read my blog and those of the other JoeSentMe correspondents need to band together for these to work. Email and/or social-media-message your program. Tell the organization that you’ll only consider using their services in the future if they enforce mask mandates and vaccinations. Then stick to that boycott.

Over seventy percent of the US population are complying with the most basic guidelines for our safety. It is time for us to speak up and tell these companies that we will no longer tolerate them catering to the stupid minority that won’t. They can’t continue to close their eyes and pretend there is a no-peeing section in our swimming pool. It’s the only pool we have.

Let me close by again reminding my readers to PLEASE stay vigilant against this disease to stay safe:

· Wear N95 or KN95 masks when outside of your home.

· Don’t eat in indoor restaurants unless they have fresh air / great ventilation.

· Get vaccinated and boosted ASAP!

This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal opinions.

All image and links provided above as reference under prevailing fair use statutes.

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As always, feel free to write and comment, question or disagree. Hearing from the traveling community is always a highlight for me. Thanks!