The longer that I am in self-quarantine, the more I miss my normal life. I find myself looking back on the days when I could aimlessly walk around the mall and go to the movie theater with my friends. However, just because I miss my life pre-pandemic does not mean that I think social distancing measures should stop.

I was horrified when I saw that large groups of people in multiple states have been protesting for their states to open up again. They feel that their rights are being infringed upon by hair salons closing and preventing them from being able to get a haircut. How could anyone possibly think that their desire to get a haircut is more important than the lives of hundreds of thousands of people?

My hope when quarantine started was that this virus would bring people together and make the public realize that all of our lives are interconnected. Sadly, the opposite seems to be happening. I have seen so many displays of selfishness in the past month that I have been in quarantine, and frankly, it's disheartening. It was a no-brainer for me to go into self-quarantine because I know that it is my responsibility to stay home and protect those of us that are immunocompromised, elderly, and essential workers. I thought everyone else would also come to this same decision since it is such a simple way to help, but I was let down. People are willing to defy stay-at-home orders because as long as they don't feel sick, they don't care if they spread the virus to someone else. In fact, many of them think this entire virus is a hoax.

The protesters keep demanding that they be given their "freedom" back, but these people seem to not realize that by congregating in huge groups — sometimes with no masks or personal protective equipment — they are only delaying their "freedom" even more. And the most frustrating thing of all is that these people will not believe that the virus is dangerous until they get it and are faced with life-threatening symptoms. Then their entire stance will change and they will demand to go to a hospital and receive treatment. What happened to your belief that the doctors are lying about the severity of the virus? Is it only now a real issue because it is your life in danger, not the lives of strangers you don't care about?

Your desire to go to the beach and get a haircut does not matter. Enough with the "every man for themselves" mentality. It is up to all of us to do our part in keeping each other safe and healthy by staying home.