TAMPA, Fla. — COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the United States.
Public health officials worry that masks are not being worn and social distancing is not being observed.
After seven months of adhering to COVID-19 protocols, psychologist Miranda Goodman-Wilson explains that burnout is a normal side-effect, particularly for Floridians who have not had a personal experience with the virus.
"If you have gone seven-plus months, and you personally have not known anyone who has experienced the illness, I think it's also easy at this point for people based on their own experiences their own sort of biases of 'Well, I've seen this, I haven't seen that,' to start losing sight of the very real risks," Goodman-Wilson said.
The effect is the spread of COVID-19. In Orange County, a sweet 16 birthday party became a spreading event. Thirty people attended the party on October 10, and later half of them tested positive for the virus.
"That's a very high rate," said Dr. Raul Pino, a health officer with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County.
Goodman-Wilson says the desire to have an in-person party is natural. And of course, online options have a hard time competing with in-person events.
"The feelings of wanting to get back to normal, are completely natural. They're not a bad person for wanting to hug a friend or host a birthday party," she said. "It's okay if you're not as excited to go hang out on Zoom on a Friday night as you would be to go to a bar or restaurant."
Nonetheless, finding safe and fulfilling social interaction is increasingly important as cases rise in the U.S. once again.
"You continue to be out in the community. And we will continue to see the consequences if we don't act super responsible. It's not just responsible, super responsible," Pino said.
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