By this point in time, most of us have had issues related to COVID-19. During the past several months, almost every individual has felt some anguish.
For example, people are still arguing their rights are being violated when they're required to wear a mask. Or, they worry about their kids being back in school.
We all feel we've been taken prisoner by some invisible force. Who doesn't want to go on vacation, have a party, or go to a sporting event? But, the enemy (the virus) is out there.
Community leadership is critical to winning this war. Health officials must expand education, help financially challenged people buy masks, and make sure those who are sick are in quarantine.
Here's the reality on cooling our stress: If we don't jump in to fix things, our stress will rise higher and higher.
Here are some questions and comments I've heard from friends:
_ Do you really believe the cases are in the millions? Could journalists be exaggerating?
_ Do you know anyone personally who's gotten sick? Why have I not heard of anyone?
_ Can we actually believe someone who says they've tested positive? Could they be lying?
Personally, I know 16 people who have tested positive for COVID-19. Twelve got it at their church, three got it at work, and one doesn't know where he got it.
"I was curious why our local funeral home was allowing over 300 people inside with no masks," says a nurse we'll call Kristin who lives near the Tennessee-Virginia border. She drove by as attendees were coming out of the building.
Kristin got on the phone and did a little research, because she personally recognized many of these people exiting the funeral.
Kristin says, "Five of the people I called said they could not afford throw-away masks, and they added they did not trust the effectiveness of cloth masks. So, they'd decided to take their chances."
A pharmacist from New Orleans says he hears comments that the news media might be exaggerating the numbers of those who are sick. We'll call him Cory.
"Perfectly intelligent people in my community, who don't really follow the news religiously, are telling themselves that the news people just want to inflate their stories," says Cory. "They refuse to acknowledge what's going on."
A medical administrator in a state health department says she recently faced a new issue. We'll call her Maxine. Maxine told me, "A sixth-grade teacher three streets from my house, whom I'll call Ms. Jones, tested positive."
Maxine continues, "This woman was caught on camera at her condo complex walking about freely and coughing loudly. She would not wear a mask, even though elderly people lived all around her."
Maxine nearly fainted when she got a call from one of the condo owners. "I was told Ms. Jones had shown up for the first day of school. She told her neighbors she didn't have a temperature, so she planned to meet with the teachers for orientation."
Maxine goes on to say, "We can't assume everyone knows what to do, and we can't assume that every adult really cares if they protect others. I personally told Mrs. Jones to quarantine for 10 days, but unless people speak up, the spread is going to continue."
Federal and state leaders can only do so much. The rest of us need to pay attention, act as guardian angels of each other, and make sure (with no excuses) that we help to reverse the pandemic.
