This Super Bowl Sunday In Tampa Wear A Mask. Save A Life.

The Super Bowl is this Sunday in Tampa. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium in what is guaranteed to be one of the greatest football games of all time.

The NFL and Tampa city leaders have pledged that masks will be required and CDC guidelines will be followed. No doubt, there will be at least an effort at the actual NFL events and at the game, but what concerns me more is the coming COVID-19 superspreader event around town as many people unknowingly infect those they love and those they have never met before.

Many have messaged me that they feel the same way and are concerned about what is going to happen when the Super Bowl is over in Tampa.

City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has kindly asked people to wear masks and passed laws that are meant to encourage that despite opposition. Tampa Police have clearly said they will focus on “education” instead of “enforcement” which means the only way to save lives is you.

There will be events, there will be gatherings. People will interact with people not in their COVID-19 bubble. It is going to happen. There is nothing we can do to stop that. What we can do is try to save as many lives as possible.

Wear a mask. Wear a mask for your Mom. Wear a mask for your Dad. Wear a mask for your Grandma. Wear a mask for your kids and for the kids of others so they won’t grow up as orphans.

It’s a little crazy that Tampa has been in so many championships during a time when it is the most difficult not to celebrate wildly in public. As someone who cheered very loudly in Ybor City when the Lightning were in the playoffs before the pandemic, I know how frustrating this is.

There will be struggling bars that will break the rules for quick cash and restaurants who will throw ragers and endanger their entire staff in the process. Waiters and waitresses who desperately need tips will be trapped between asking customers to wear a mask and paying their rent. No doubt, I will have people sending me videos of this mischief over the weekend and asking me to share it online and to tag politicians who are going to say there was nothing they could do.

Unfortunately, our government is not coming to save us. Law enforcement is not coming to save us. We do have some form of power of what is going to happen to us though. Do what you can. Wear a mask. If you are listening to Dr. Fauci’s latest advice about the new variants, wear two masks! Avoid parties with people you don’t know or who you don’t live with. If you decide to go out, try to dine outside or drink outside. Wash your hands. Carry hand sanitizer. Don’t touch your face until you do. Stay home if you aren’t feeling well. Please don’t leave this town in shambles because of one day that should be celebratory in nature.

Haven’t we suffered enough? Over 100,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 in Hillsborough County. 1 in 14 people have been infected and in Florida over 26,000 Floridians have died since the pandemic began last March. We have lost so many great people including people we have never met.

There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel with vaccine distribution beginning to increase, no matter how currently botched it might be as politics plays out. For the first time in the pandemic, more people were vaccinated than infected this week. Soon more vaccines will be approved including one that only requires one dose to protect us.

We are so close, I can almost taste it. The big virus surge that began after Thanksgiving and had led to over 200 Floridians dying in a single day is starting to go down as it looks like cases and hospitalizations starting to fall coincides with deaths rising. This will only maintain if we make the right choices this weekend though.

The Super Bowl is a reason for celebration for Tampa. The last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a Super Bowl I was in 7th grade and I’m 31 years old now. It has certainly been a long road for this team. This is a big deal for Tampa’ s future. Tampa is growing as a city. The Bucs winning the Super Bowl is game-changing for Tampa Bay which already has the Stanley Cup (Go Lightning!).

So celebrate safely. Celebrate with the people you love that you see regularly. If you cannot be around the people you see regularly or if you are going out, then please be responsible and wear a mask. It’s the easiest thing to do. Masks are sold everywhere now. Plenty of restaurants are offering deals for takeout and catering if you don’t feel like cooking. You can still support local businesses while being safe at the same time.

All your favorite local craft breweries have growlers ready to go. Your favorite Cuban Sandwich shops are ready to fulfill orders. There is no reason you cannot celebrate and watch the game without us having some kind of nightmare scenario in 2 weeks.

Only you can make that choice though. That’s why I’m writing this today. To encourage you to wear a mask. Save a life. Maybe it’ll be your own or someone you love. Maybe it will be a stranger who you haven’t met who is also trying to get through this pandemic and wake up one day in a world where we no longer need to wear masks and can no longer fear our parents dying before their time.

We are almost to that world, but we need your help first. Please wear a mask on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s being a good neighbor. It’s caring about others. The power is in your hands completely. Good luck to the Bucs.