STAY STRONG AS BATTLE WAGES ON
We are in the midst of a war against an invisible enemy. Winning, strangely, looks like empty streets. It looks like abandoned playground structures. It looks like seeing loved ones through a window, instead of across the table at Sunday dinner. It looks like snowbirds, returning to our province from winter homes, truly staying in quarantine for 14 full days.
The warriors are our health-care workers, grocery store staff and other front-line workers. Sometimes, they are going to the front without assurances they will have the equipment they need for the fight. We need to cheer them on, to say thank you every chance we get.
Everyday heroic acts are leading us to victory. Groceries left on a doorstep, a phone call to check in on a neighbour or a funny post on social media can get someone through a tough day.
In many ways, we are conquerors in what we don’t do. Let the seniors and immune-compromised individuals have that early shopping shift to themselves. Leave the slots for grocery delivery for those who are unable to get out themselves. Resist the urge to hoard cleaning materials and drugs, when that could leave someone else in a dire situation. Stay home as much as possible.
We must, for the foreseeable future, err on the side of caution when it comes to leaving our homes and gathering with others. If there is a risk involved, if there is even a question about whether an action could spread COVID-19, it should not happen. Don’t push to the limits of what officials are suggesting.
Much of the battleground is unseen, in that it is being waged in our minds. The struggle with loneliness due to social isolation, the fear of economic fallout and concern for the lives of loved ones is not for the faint of heart.
Even as we must resist physically reaching out, it is the time to extend all the hopeful words and kindness we can. We must believe that we will one day look back and be proud of how we responded to this crisis.
There is much the government can and should do in this situation. They too must err on the side of acting too quickly, of doing as much as they can, to fight COVID-19. This editorial, however, is aimed at the army of everyday, non-elected people who will help our society come out of this crisis in the best shape possible.
The power of the people has never been clearer. Stay informed, stay strong and stay the course as this emergency continues.