We’re All in This Pandemic Together!
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By Rachael Drew-Kinuthia
A few months ago, the messages from some states’ governors were clear. It was a critical time to wear a face covering in public for the safety of the community. Most rallied to do what was necessary and we wore our masks — some hand-sewn, some shaped from a bandana, and others purchased from various retailers. Local hospitals asked for donations and received masks by the hundreds from much appreciated volunteers who sewed them in the community. These actions, in combination with physical distancing, frequent and proper handwashing, and increased testing, flattened the curve in some areas, which allowed them to reopen, in phases, the local businesses.
This was the pattern here in Delaware. Schools were closed since March and many jobs by the end of that month had a work from home stipulation. Near the end of April, we were required to wear masks. It was surprising to hear friends and family members relate to us how their states were not implementing such mandates. As we watched news reports, checked social media, and communicated with loved ones, we learned some started getting on board with the same later.
This was becoming part of our New Normal. We heard how this pandemic was not a sprint but a marathon, and the virus is here in our nation, without sign of letup. It’s worrisome that so many still don’t want to wear their masks. It is required upon entry of any business here in Delaware. Unfortunately, news of summer celebrations spreading the virus to family members, restaurant workers, lifeguards, and residents started creeping up on our local news.
The Governor then ordered beach bars and restaurants to close back up, ahead of the Independence Day weekend due to a spreading of the virus. Our phase 3 of reopening was delayed and our daily reminders to follow the protocols have kept coming via emails and alerts. As a somewhat recent cancer survivor, I was anxiously awaiting my return to the cancer center for a delayed appointment. But I was called and informed many services would still be delayed. The healthcare centers would not bring in patients except for chemo and radiation. I will continue to stay away and have scheduled telephone consultations. Sadly, we wouldn’t need to keep doing this if everyone kept following what was helping in the first place.
Nearby states have also noticed an increased relaxation with regard to wearing face coverings and physical distancing. Other states, we all noticed, never got on board with establishing either of these in the first place. Will this view spread just as the virus itself seems to be? There are particularly good reasons to wear a face covering in public when going out to dinner, the hair salon, the grocery store, or a doctor’s appointment. There is clear scientific evidence that the risk of contracting COVID-19 is lower if a mask is worn. It is still not fully understood how often those with the virus and without symptoms can transmit to others, according to the CDC. That alone should make us be wary of treating this as unreal. You may have seen graphics showing the importance of face masks. Most, I have viewed, included a picture of an asymptomatic carrier of the virus and the other of an uninfected person. It detailed the chance of transmission as low only if both wear a face covering, and incredibly low, if 6 feet of distancing is practiced. Without a face covering, that chance of transmission is significantly higher.
Recently, Philadelphia Phillies Infielder Scott Kingery wanted everyone, from his teammates to his fans, to know that this virus is indeed real. “It started on a Thursday (June 11) when I came down with a headache,” Kingery told NBC Sports Philadelphia. He continues, “I tried to play it off, but it didn’t go away…” He goes on to describe the various symptoms he experienced such as chills and a fever. “My fever broke Sunday morning and I actually felt a little better. I know five or six people who had it and every single person was affected differently. Some had a sore throat, really bad. I never had a sore throat. Some were asymptomatic the whole way. I was not.”
He agreed with every protocol that MLB and the Phillies are taking as necessary for safety. “You have to take the precautions and protocols seriously…There are ways we can take precautions without there being a big outbreak so we can play this season.” He isn’t the only athlete to relate his personal coronavirus experience. But these are the thoughts we all need to have in our minds if we go to our boardwalks, state parks, restaurants, local businesses, and healthcare providers. Not treating this pandemic as a real threat continues to put all of us at risk. The behaviors of the reckless are coming from the White House down. Consider the tone of the president, who said only this week that CDC guidelines for reopening schools are “tough,” “expensive” and “impractical,” and went out to threaten that he may “cut off funding” if classrooms aren’t reopened. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 3 million on Wednesday as the record rises in daily infections. The grim milestone, tallied by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, came almost exactly a month after the U.S. passed 2 million COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, urged state and local governments ― including those that bowed to the president’s pressure to lift restrictions and reopen businesses ― to mandate facial coverings. “There’s so many other things that are very dangerous and bad about this virus. Don’t get yourself into false complacency. If you say that it doesn’t matter whether you put it on or you take it off, you’re giving a wrong, mixed signal,” Fauci said. “The signal should be wear a mask, period.” With no clear guidance from the top, it has influenced American parents into making vastly different choices for their families right now. My household, like many others, has kept our teenaged children from attending birthday celebrations and hanging out with groups of friends due to physical distancing concerns. Others have not and we see this all across the country. Some families have entertained groups in their home, crowded around pools, or refused to wear masks inside of stores.
By now, we could have started to recover, flatten the curve in our country, and reopened parts of our economy. We must act together to slow the spread of the virus and look after each other. We’re suffering together, but we can succeed together. Then it’s up to us to vote out this dangerous administration in November — together.
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