By Gary Chizever

“If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging" Denis Healey
“It always seems impossible until it's done” Nelson Mandela
“Hope is not a strategy” Vince Lombardi
“| know not what course others may take... “ Patrick Henry

The pandemic is no longer a surprise. The pandemic is not an exotic, distant or remote problem. The pandemic is actual, serious, nearby, and it is fixable. It can be ended by you and by me acting individually and by people acting in concert. This can happen and must happen —more people are dying every day and more people are injured each day.

There is tiredness and resentment of hearing about the virus. The virus is not slowed by fatigue nor by resentment. Wishful thinking also does not arrest viral spread. Epidemics are stopped by cutting susceptibility and by blocking transmission. Possibly you've been told susceptibility can be reduced by reaching “herd immunity”. Maybe that's what your community is trying for -or hoping for- without explicit acknowledgment. Or your community's plan is to wait for a vaccine, or to pretend that the pandemic is not here. Understandable impulses - not grounded in reality.

There are simple basics that are effective and proven to limit viral spread are available now to each of us and to our communities.

• Masks or face coverings whenever near others that might be infected.

• Face masks plus shields in higher-risk situations.

• Keeping apart 6’ / 2 meter minimum.

• Hand-washing and keeping surfaces clean.

And if there's a chance of having been infected —doing everything that can be done to avoid spreading the problem to others in the community and to those close to us.

Some of the measures necessary to end this pandemic now are simple yet difficult -hard choices- but critical to stem the rise of “long-haul” COVID (young people with symptoms not resolving), and to prevent death and severe illness occurring for seniors and even sometimes for young otherwise healthy adults and for young children. These steps include eliminating unnecessary travel and holding off on social and recreational activities that involve being near others.

Businesses that depend on people interacting in enclosed spaces need to re-engineer, pivot, adapt, innovate, or risk showing the community a lack of concern for their customers’ or for their employees’ well-being. Effective testing, tracing, and isolation programs need to be in place —if they aren't in your town find out why and team up for advocacy with others who understand the importance of ending the pandemic immediately.

If everyone waits for everyone else to fix the pandemic, we'll be waiting a very long time. The virus will end fastest through individual and through community action. Become informed —then help others understand pandemic basics and realities, especially community opinion leaders, business owners, those in a position to set policy.

We're with you! Stay safe and stay well.

- Gary Chizever