I recently went with friends to the Vashon Theater to see the movie “Ladybird” on its final day. We sat in front of a group of people who were hacking and sneezing and coughing. We moved forward by several rows, but by then it was too late. Two of us came down two days later with the same catastrophic virus that ruined a trip I had looked forward to. My tropical vacation saw me chilled and coughing, and I developed a sinus infection and laryngitis. I’m still not out of the woods. My friend’s illness progressed to pneumonia.

Really, people, does your eagerness to see a movie outweigh the risk of infecting everyone around you? Whatever happened to personal responsibility and caring about the folks who share our island life?

If you are sick, then please stay home.

— Carolyn Brinkley, MD