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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor 

Stay home or you’ll get coronavirus. But wait, go out and shop so you can support our economy. Hold on a second though, wear a mask to make sure you don’t spread the virus. But also, that mask won’t protect you.

It seems as if every day we continue the battle against COVID-19, we here from a new expert telling us what to do and what not to do and none of them can find a way to agree on any of it.

Is anybody else confused right now? Or just to the point where they don’t care because there is no consistency? Join the club.

I’ve seen people adamant that they aren’t walking down an aisle of their local grocery store if somebody isn’t following the suggested directional arrows, even if that person is wearing a mask.

Also, I’ve seen people walking both directions with no masks standing around for five minutes shooting the breeze, while someone stands at the end of the aisle tapping their foot and giving that hated look of “I wish these idiots would move.”

This deadly virus isn’t a joke, but it’s to the point where it almost feels like a cruel prank being played on all of us simply because of that inconsistency.

Is it our leaders not doing a good job of leading? Or is it us as humans not being able to comprehend what we need to do?

I for one haven’t been impacted by the virus and don’t know of anyone who has. That said, I have a birthday coming up and of course would love to spend it with my family and friends, including my grandparents.

But they fall in that dangerous range of being older than 65, which in this state accounts for approximately 78 percent of those who have died from the virus.

So instead of planning a Fourth of July cookout where my grandfather would inevitably fall asleep with his mouth wide open sitting in a foldout chair with a drink in hand or talking about birthday plans, we’re having to have the very real conversation of do we take the chance of being around each other.

And honestly, I don’t know what to do because of all the conflicting information we are given on a daily basis.

One thing I do know is that these so called “experts” seem to be flooding out of the wood works to give their opinions on what we should and shouldn’t do and what is and is not safe.

Instead of listening, I choose to focus on common sense. If I’m going to be around people, I take the necessary precautions. If I need my mask, I wear it. If someone sneezes, I say God bless you and simultaneously turn to run the other way.

I’m not scared to live my everyday life, but I also try to be smart about it.

If we all use common sense, then maybe, just maybe, we stand a chance.