Editor’s Note: These are the views of Bishop Michael Goings and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Dillon Herald.

At the time of this writing, COVID-19 victims have drastically grown in an alarming and even exponentially way to seventy-four and counting in Dillon County. Our number has almost doubled that of Marion County, who has almost the same number of citizens as Dillon County. Florence County (whose population is 138,293) compared to Dillon County (whose population is 30,589),When comparing Dillon County’s number of coronavirus victims is proportionally speaking more than that of Florence County’s two hundred and twenty-five at the time of this writing.
I want to use my column today in an attempt to address and sound the alarm as to why Dillon County’s numbers are growing and spreading like an out of control forest fire.
I am very alarmed that if we do not soon get a handle on this deadly and highly contagious microscopic enemy, our window of opportunity may close. Whether we want to believe or accept this fact, there is a killer on the loose that needs to be apprehended – a killer that requires a collective and concentrated effort to subdue. With that having been stated, I want to consider a few of the ways that each of us can do our part in the fight to defeat this disease.

Keep Our Commitment
to Social and Physical Distancing
One of the things that I have been observing that has greatly alarmed me about far too many people in our locale is their lack of practicing social distancing.
For some reason, many are reluctant to adhere to the practice of social distancing that those in the medical profession have strongly advised us to do in order to curtail and control the spread of COVID-19.
I am afraid that if more of the citizens and residents of Dillon County do not begin to take this coronavirus crisis seriously and follow the instructions of the medical professionals and civic authorities, the pandemic is just going to continue to grow and spread in our locale in an exponential way.
In light of this truth, it is incumbent upon each of us to do our part in the fight to contain and control the spread of the virus. Do not be guilty of not cooperating and doing your part in the struggle to subdue this deadly enemy.

Living in Denial
Does Not Make You Immune
I recently greeted a close relative of mine in a big box store who did not have on a mask. I asked him where was his mask and he responded to me in somewhat of a facetious and nonchalant manner as if the whole issue of the coronavirus was a farce and fairytale.
Like many others in his absurdity, he has chosen to live in denial about the reality and danger of this disease that has afflicted over one million and killed over eighty thousand in our nation at the time of this writing.
Living in denial about the reality of any killer or destructive force when it is raging around you does not give you an immunity against it. It only puts you in a greater risk of being a victim of its rage and destruction.

Reckless and Rebellious Behavioral Patterns
One of the primary reasons why COVID-19 is spreading and growing exponentially in Dillon County, especially among the African American population, is simply due to reckless and rebellious behavioral patterns. In my observation and vigilance, I have noticed that far too many black people in our locale are careless and defiant to the strategic plan recommended by the authorities and health care professionals.
This recklessness and refusal to participate in the struggle that is being waged to contain, curtail, and conquer the coronavirus is a real problem that has contributed to the fact that African-Americans are disproportionately the victims of this deadly and vicious pandemic far more than any other ethnic group.

The Facts Demand an Urgent Response from African-Americans
It is both a frightful fact and rigorous reality that African -Americans, who only constitute fourteen percent of the nation’s population, are sixty percent of the people who have died from COVID-19.
In South Carolina, blacks are only twenty-seven percent of the total population, but account for forty-four percent of people with the virus.
If this disproportionate ratio of blacks with the virus is not proof that there is something gravely wrong with the disparity of African-American’s economics, health care, and general well-being compared to whites, nothing is.
Please do not accuse me of playing the race card here. Apart from the fact that African-Americans are the ones who are more susceptible and predisposed to catch the coronavirus, due to underlining conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart trouble, asthma, etc., it is estimated that forty percent of frontline workers are people of color who are endangering their lives to combat this pandemic.
Furthermore, blacks are the last to be tested and the last to be admitted to the hospital according to a survey when they have symptoms of COVID-19.
I do not know the data, but I wager you that African-Americans comprise the vast majority of those who have the coronavirus in Dillon County.
Listen African-Americans, if we do not wake up and begin to look out for ourselves as the primary victims of this pandemic, our failure to act will continue to decimate us.