• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Bishop Robert Barron
          • George Weigel
          • Question Corner
          • Effie Caldarola
          • John Garvey
          • Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Suzanna Molino Singleton
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Paul McMullen
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Father T. Austin Murphy Jr.
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
  • Advertising
  • CR Radio
  • Printing
  • Subscribe

Rights and responsibilities

Christopher Gunty September 9, 2020
By Christopher Gunty
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Behind the Headlines, Commentary, Coronavirus

Just five months after the first case of COVID-19 in Maryland not related to travel (known as “community spread”) in mid-March, Maryland marked more than 100,000 positive cases of the disease that comes from the novel coronavirus.

Of those, 3.5 percent, 3,502 people, have died. We mourn them, and all of the more than 770,000 deaths worldwide.

We are grateful for the measures taken by Gov. Larry Hogan and the Maryland Department of Health to control the virus and protect the public health.

At one point, the positivity rate – the number of positive cases among those tested – was above 26 percent in the state. Since June 24, the rate had consistently been under 5 percent on a rolling seven-day average, a rate that meets the World Health Organization’s recommended rate. As of Aug. 16, 35 states had higher than the recommended rate.

According to a chart from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, “If a positivity rate is too high, that may indicate that the state is only testing the sickest patients who seek medical attention, and is not casting a wide enough net to know how much of the virus is spreading within its communities.

“A low rate of positivity in testing data can be seen as a sign that a state has sufficient testing capacity for the size of its outbreak and is testing enough of its population to make informed decisions about reopening,” the JHU resource said.

Although the positivity rate in the state is declining, we are not out of the woods. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a parishioner of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, noted the U.S. has accelerated testing across the board and is at about 5 million tests a week, but about 3 million to 5 million tests a day is “where we need to be as a nation.”

It should be noted that some areas within the archdiocese have been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus, especially in the Black and Hispanic communities. In part, this is because people in those communities tend to work in service industries where it is difficult to work from home, so they have been out and about throughout the pandemic.

Public health is the responsibility of all of us – that’s what makes it public. In many ways, it comes down to this: We are our brother’s and sister’s keeper. Health officials, including Redfield, definitively point out that wearing a mask, frequent handwashing and social distancing are the best ways to slow the spread of the disease.

And yet, some people refuse to do so. They claim their rights are violated by not being able to go to restaurants or night clubs, or to gather in large groups. They claim it is their right not to wear a mask. But that’s just wrong; within our society, with rights come responsibility.

I may have the right or privilege to drive a car, but I cannot drive 100 miles an hour on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway or drive on the wrong side of the road. Such behavior endangers myself and, more importantly, the safety of others. In this crisis, we all share the responsibility to do what we can to contain the spread.

In light of this, it’s vitally important that everyone continue to take this coronavirus seriously, while we wait for solid treatments and vaccines against the disease to protect us all.

I can do my part. You can do your part. Your neighbor can do his or her part. It seems like that would not be enough, but it is. If each and every person takes responsibility for wearing a mask, social distancing and washing their hands frequently, we can make a difference. The virus won’t magically disappear, but each of us can – and must – do what we can to minimize the risks.

Copyright © 2020 Catholic Review Media

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

Christopher Gunty

Christopher Gunty

A Chicago-area native, Christopher Gunty is associate publisher/editor of The Catholic Review and CEO of its parent publishing company, The Cathedral Foundation/CR Media. He also serves as a host of Catholic Review Radio.

He has spent his whole professional career in Catholic journalism as a writer, photographer, editor, circulation manager and associate publisher. He spent four years with The Chicago Catholic; 19 years as founding editor and associate publisher of The Catholic Sun in Phoenix, Ariz.; and six years at The Florida Catholic. In July 2009, he came to Baltimore to lead The Cathedral Foundation.

Chris served as president of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada from 1996 to 1998, and has traveled extensively learning about and reporting on the work of the church, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Haiti, Poland, Italy, Germany and finally in 2010 visited the Holy Land for the first time.

View all posts from this author

Recent Commentary

History’s greatest inaugural speeches

What’s for dinner? Your guess is as good as mine

Do you want to be a saint? Seven daily habits for the new year

A last taste of Christmas and a little rhyming fun (7 Quick Takes)

Building a Nation of Peace and Justice

Recent Local News

Ash Wednesday, other Lenten Masses will see changes in Archdiocese of Baltimore

Artisans, St. Philip Neri parishioners step up for $1.5 million church renovation

New children’s book breathes humanity into the stories of the saints

MCC watching bills as Maryland legislative session opens Jan. 13

‘Pastoral Migratoria’ will bring social justice and community service training to four parishes

Catholic Review Radio

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • ‘We need the Lord to cast out demon of division in our nation,’ Washington cardinal says
  • Ash Wednesday, other Lenten Masses will see changes in Archdiocese of Baltimore
  • Movie Review: ‘Pinocchio’
  • History’s greatest inaugural speeches
  • Artisans, St. Philip Neri parishioners step up for $1.5 million church renovation
  • Rome university reverses decision to honor priest’s pro-life work
  • Popes Francis, Benedict receive their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine
  • What’s for dinner? Your guess is as good as mine
  • House impeaches Trump a second time; timeline for Senate trial unknown
  • Supreme Court says abortion drugs must be obtained in person, not by mail

Search

Membership

Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2021 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED