State controlling virus spread, but don’t let up
Never before has each of us had a greater role — and a greater responsibility — in controlling a crisis. Never before has collective understanding been more needed and the threat of individual complacency been more concerning.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have massive impact on our nation, and as new hot spots arise in the South,
Southwest and West regions of our country, we need to act together and continue to take this threat seriously. This requires a sense of humility, humanity and urgency.
Humility, because we must admit there’s a lot we don’t yet know about this virus.
But we now know with absolute scientific certainty that wearing face masks in public, practicing distancing, quarantining when appropriate and disinfecting work. Humanity, because with these behaviors, each of us can do our part to protect others’ lives and wellbeing. Urgency, because it’s simply human nature to grow lax and let clinically proven safety measures lapse.
It is all too easy to think we’ve overcome this virus in Connecticut. After nearly 4,400 coronavirus deaths statewide, the infection is now spreading here in a slow and controlled fashion. We all should be enormously proud of our state in achieving an extremely low percentage of positive COVID-19 tests — about 0.8%, as opposed to about 24% in Arizona, for example. This places Connecticut among the safest states in the nation during this pandemic.
Yes, thanks to all our efforts, the worst is behind us here in the Northeast — for now. I remember those scary days (hard to believe this was only three months ago) when no end seemed in sight. The peak for us came on April 22, when Connecticut reported 1,972 COVID-positive hospitalizations; 426 of these people — our neighbors, relatives and friends — were being cared for at Hartford HealthCare hospitals.
No one ever wants to go back to those gut-wrenching days. But we could — and the examples of some other states, like California or Florida, demonstrate this all too dramatically.
I want to be clear. This killer virus is a destroyer of health and livelihoods. It respects no borders and pervades states both red and blue. Practicing safety measures is not about politics. It is about life and death. We owe it to all who have died — more than 624,000 across our planet and more than 141,000 in the U.S. — as well as to their grieving loved ones and all who cared for them, to do our part.
Each of us must be a force for combatting this pandemic. The power is in our hands — wash them. It is in our feet — maintain distance. And it is on our faces — wear a mask in public.
Thank you for doing the right and proven thing. Thank you for moving us forward.