Cottrel: ‘We are all in this together’

We are all in this together.

How many times have we heard these words over this past week? We hear the words, smile grimly and nod. Yep, we are in this together.

But I don’t think we all are.

The key word here is “all.”

All means everyone; each and every one of us from the tiniest newborn to a 100 year old energizer bunny.

Saying that we all are in this together makes it sound like we are linking arms and standing fast against that virus that has killed thousands of people and brought the world economy to its knees.

But are we all?

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The virus is persistently searching for a way to get through to our most vulnerable citizens.

We have, or should have, isolated our most vulnerable folks; our grandparents and great grandparents, an aunt recovering from chemo, best friend with that autoimmune disease, the cousin with asthma, that World War II hero with all the medals, a neighbor recovering from surgery. They are standing behind our line of linked arms. We cannot let them down.

The problem is not everyone is following the plan.

The President, our Governor, our county and city officials have explained the plan to us over and over. We are to put off getting this virus as long as we can or successfully avoid getting it. This will flatten the curve on the charts and keep everyone from getting sick all at the same time and overwhelming the hospitals.

You saw the wild craziness at the grocery stores last week. Do you want our hospitals to look like that? We can slow it down to a manageable rate but ALL of us have to play by the rules of the game.

We all know the drill; Hand washing, social distancing, self isolation, staying home, taking good care of ourselves, coughing into our elbows, etc, etc.

The problem is that so many of us see ourselves as the exception to the rules. How many people are sneaking out for that special deal on toilet paper that they do not need? I’ve seen folks ignoring the six-foot spacing and social distancing as they stand elbow to elbow in a line to get into a store like its Black Friday. I’ve heard parents complain about teens who are secretly gathering in groups to hang out because they are bored. There are still folks who don’t wash their hands after going to the restroom or after opening the doors at the stores, and folks who turn a legitimate quick run to pick up a takeout dinner into a multiple store shopping trip to hoard more supplies. Some people still go shopping even if they are running a fever or feeling achy.

This is serious stuff folks, like a Viking shield wall. Nothing can get through or all is lost.

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And some of those folks on that shield wall are getting tired right now. Nurses, LPNs, doctors, technicians, janitors, orderlies, medics, and caregivers are working long difficult days and facing more life and death situations than they ever thought they might encounter during their training. Their protective gear is running low. They want to do their best for their patients, but meanwhile they worry about getting the virus themselves or worse yet taking it home after work.

Families of health care workers tell of an exhausted mom or dad coming home through the garage and stripping off the scrubs and shoes before entering the house. They are exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally from facing a contagious situation all day. They don’t have the energy to do home schooling, cooking or laundry. They feel sad about not being home with their children to help with homework. They wish they could have just one boring day at home.

We’ve got to find a way to help those in our front lines. Those of us in isolation need to find ways to support those who protects us.

PHOTOS: Springfield During Coronavirus

How can we encourage? Maybe the home school art projects this week will be encouraging signs for health care workers that can be posted near the hospital or in front of the firehouse? Can we bake an extra casserole for the family of a friend who is a nurse? How about cookies for that medic next door? Can we sew masks that can help with the protective gear shortage? There are patterns online. Encouraging phone calls and texts are wonderful. Or we can be old fashioned and write an encouraging note to a health care worker. Perhaps we can offer to prepare the flower beds of health care workers on our street. In a couple of weeks we can help with their mowing.

Most important of all we need to follow all the guidelines of the medical experts who have determined our best ways to fight the virus. It is so frustrating to health care workers to see people ignoring their advice.

We truly do ALL have to be in this fight together.

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