CMV: With regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, your right to not follow the government recommendations will never supersede the right of people around you to not contract the virus.

The COVID-19 pandemic is without a doubt one of the most significant events of this century and will likely be remembered for generations to come. The virus has already claimed thousands of lives, infected hundreds of thousands of people, and brought several countries to their knees. As a result of this, many governments around the world have put recommendations or even laws in place in order to help prevent the spread of the virus as much as possible. This often includes stuff like staying at your home as much as possible, maintaining a safe distance from people, and wearing a mask if you need to be out in public.<br><br>Despite the virus already having such a massive impact, there is still a large number of people outright refusing to follow any of these recommendations. Many people will argue that they have the right to go outside whenever they want, to not wear masks, and to not practice social distancing. The reason they will give for this will often be that they believe the government does not have the right to tell them what they can or cannot do. Some will say stuff like “My body, my choice”, while others will just claim that the government is trying to create some sort of police state.<br><br>In my opinion, these people are putting the lives of those around them at risk. Yes, you do have the right to do what you want, but this only goes as far as the point where you start infringing on the rights of others. If someone decides to go out and about without any kind of protection, and without following social distancing guidelines, then they are infringing on the right to life of those around them. They are giving themselves the ability to potentially kill people, and to potentially give them a disease which will cause them months of suffering and pain, something which I personally believe is completely unacceptable.<br><br>If you want to go out without a mask, then that is your choice, but you are still required to follow the social distancing guidelines. If you want to go out high on meth, that is your choice, but you are not allowed to drive while high. If you want to have sex with someone and deliberately give them an STD, then that is your choice, but it is considered assault in the eyes of the law. Your freedom to do what you want will always stop at the point where you are infringing on the rights or freedoms of others. This is just a fact of how society functions.<br><br>I am not saying that the government is always correct, and I agree that it is important to question their decisions when the time is appropriate, but in the case of this pandemic I believe that they are making the correct decisions in order to protect their citizens. I also believe that the freedoms which people are given should never extend to the point where they are able to directly put the lives of others at risk.<br><br>EDIT: I am no longer active on this post, so I will not be replying to any further comments. I appreciate everyone who took the time to engage in a discussion with me about this topic.