The Hell of Living in Florida During This Pandemic

Why we need to take a step back from all the politics and remember the importance of safety.

Sean Kernan
6 min readJul 19, 2020

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Source: Pexels pic Anna Schvets

The sliding glass doors opened. I grabbed a cart and went into Publix, a local grocery store here in Tampa, Florida.

The boisterous colors of all the retail brands greeted me, each vying for my attention. Then, I saw my first person. He was an older man, with daggers extended from his eyes directly at me. Then, a second person had a similar fire in their glare.

I wondered what I’d done wrong. Then it hit me, “I forgot my mask.” I put my cart away and headed back to the house. It was a minor inconvenience. But worth it.

Outside of that blip, I've been good, as has everyone I see here in Tampa. Social distancing has been practiced. Everyone has masks on. But I, like so many of you, have watched in horror as COVID-19 cases continue to hit staggering numbers.

Daily cases in Florida. (Source: Pic by Florida Department of Health)

It’s been a bit of a slow train wreck. I sat here months ago, watching New York’s nightmare unfold, deeply concerned about how my state would do. I wish I could say I’m surprised that it…

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Sean Kernan
Sean Kernan

Written by Sean Kernan

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