What’s Your Timeline for Covid-19?

by Briggs Clinco

I’m from Tucson, and in my lifetime, I have watched a canopy of desert trees emerge where we once had lawns.  I’ve seen my community organize and be acknowledged as a global thought leader on how to solve water for a million people in a desert in a drought. We have the ingenuity, will, and most importantly the compassion to take care of ourselves, so what’s our plan for COVID-19?  

We are all aware of the horrible outbreak in Arizona.  The negligent management by the state derailed our tremendous community efforts to curb the pandemic, and left us with a globally famous outbreak, broken economy, overwhelmed hospitals, needless loss of life, and sense that this might never end. From our hopelessness, we are left feeling there is nothing we can do, and this is the biggest problem of all.   

We have to break the narrative of accepting the “new normal”. Now. Every day counts. 

Words like “contact tracing,” “testing,” “isolation,” and even “masks” cannot deliver us from hopelessness unless they are brought together as a network of actions with a clear goal.  It is time for Tucson to catalyze around the achievable goal to contain then eliminate the disease.  This is the only way we can feel safe as a community again.  

The great news is, solving Covid-19 is no longer theoretical, we know how the virus is spread, by people, and we know how to stop it. An outbreak can be controlled in just 5-10 week as demonstrated in many types of community contexts across the world.  The only requirement is for a community to choose to do it.  

You may be thinking, “but I’m not a decision maker so what can I really do?”

I implore you to join the advocacy work at EndCoronaVirus.org where we have been highly engaged with Southern Arizona working to consult and advise key decision makers.  In our outreach, we are finding that community leaders are also struggling,  feeling dis-empowered by the state. They need greater partnership from the community.

 EndCoronavirus.org is looking for neighborhood associations or planned communities, influencers, employers of all sizes and anyone else who wants to partner in leadership for ending Covid-19 in Tucson and Pima County.  

 We can no longer wait for the state to take action.  Our community must act now and step in tandem with our local leaders and, together, embrace a new story and better outcome. We can start a new Covid-19 timeline any day we choose, please join the solution.

Briggs Clinco, Tucson Resident & EndCoronaVirus.org Volunteer
Organization Founder Prof. Yaneer Bar Yam, is a globally recognized pandemic expert and will hold an upcoming Tucson community round table. Join the Solution for Tucson at EndCoronaVirus.org/Arizona. Email Tucson@EndCoronaVirus.org if interested in a leadership role.