Now’s not the time to take foot off pedal in war vs. COVID-19
Last week we were warned that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic was about to be upon us, and indeed it has. The number of cases and deaths keeps growing.
That’s certainly the case here in Delaware County. And in truth much of Pennsylvania as well.
The state Department of Health Wednesday released numbers indicating the total number of COVID-19 cases - the illness that results from infection from the novel coronavirus, now stands at 1,882. Sadly, the death toll has claimed 59 lives. Across the state, the numbers continue to mount. Officials indicated another 1,145 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 26,490. The department also reported 63 new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 647. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania now are reporting cases of COVID-19.
What started as a trickle, a fairly small number of cases, has ballooned, with one tripledigit spike in cases after another. And each day we’re seeing more deaths related to COVID-19.
Our numbers still may seem small compared with other parts of Pennsylvania and especially with New York, but they are significant nonetheless.
Public health officials in Pennsylvania and elsewhere say there are signs that we’re at the peak of the pandemic and that things should start to settle down soon thanks to social distancing practices. There will still be more cases, but the rate of increase should decline.
We look forward to seeing more encouraging numbers, but it’s imperative that people not allow good news to make them complacent. Doctors and scientists are adamant that the situation could quickly take another turn for the worse if people let down their guard prematurely.
With that in mind, we’re puzzled by a move by Republicans in the state House and Senate to subvert the stay-at-home orders from Gov. Wolf and push to reopen business. We believe their hearts are in the right place, but the science and medicine does not seem to back them up.
Most health officials fear that opening things up too early would reverse the solid efforts undertaken in the state to flatten the curve.
We no doubt will continue to see conversation focusing on when and how to loosen restrictions and resume normal economic activity. We hope and pray that can happen as soon as possible, but in the meantime it’s imperative that people continue to do what they have been doing since mid-March: Stay home if possible, and take steps to protect themselves and others when it’s necessary to go out in public.
State and local officials will continue to pound home the point using print, television, radio and online advertising along with posters that can be put up by businesses and residents. Their message is worth repeating here:
• Stay at home as much as possible.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Wash your hands vigorously with soap and water multiple times a day.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Clean surfaces in your home and office regularly.
• Practice social distancing.
• Wear a cloth mask when going out in public.
• Support businesses that implement healthy standards and avoid businesses that ignore these precautions.
• Call on state leaders to change the focus away from deciding what businesses are opened or closed and instead enforce meaningful health and safety standards.
Much of this has been said countless times before since the pandemic struck, but it bears repeating nonetheless.
Which raises the question of just how well Delco residents and businesses are doing in following the rules.
Pretty well, actually. A company called SafeGraph that collects and analyzes smartphone GPS location data has launched a Shelter-in-Place Dashboard showing mobility trends as a way to gauge how the global pandemic has brought massive changes to how people interact with their surroundings.
The dashboard ranks all states and counties to show if people are following through on the orders from the World Health Organization and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stay at home.
Delaware County ranks seventh in Pennsylvania with a score of 26.8. This figure represents the percentage of people staying home above a baseline as of last Tuesday, the most recent day available. The baseline was recorded in the first week of February.
It means about 49% more county residents are staying at home all day compared to early February — when schools and businesses across the state remained open.
The state ranked eighth in the country by this same metric. Overall, SafeGraph found that 46% of Keystone State residents stayed home.
Better times are ahead, if only everyone focuses on what needs to be done. But now is not the time to sound the retreat from the policies of staying at home and social distancing that have gotten us to this point.