Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating.
Dear Journal,
This morning I had a bit of a freak out, while of course trying to keep it from the kids. I’m sure I’m not the only parent trying to downplay everything in front of the kids. Again, it stemmed from a news article. What doesn’t these days? Folks are out protesting at the capital, wearing no masks and carrying large guns, spewing rhetoric like “Give me liberty or give me death.” Okay, Patrick Henry, simmer down. Do you really think fighting a virus is like fighting the Redcoats? Do you think going out in a crowd to protest during a pandemic is bravery?
The protestors don’t want to stay home, but who does? There’s a lot of rhetoric going around, and much of it seems to say, we should lift the stay at home orders and see what happens. Watch the hospitals get overwhelmed and people die who otherwise wouldn’t have to. Some say it’s only 2-3% more deaths. Do you know how many people that is? Real people, not statistics.
Yes, we currently have low numbers here. And our small businesses and folks who have lost their incomes are hurting. We need to help support them in whatever ways we can. Everyone is experiencing this in different ways, and I admit that at times I’ve felt like this pain was unnecessary. But there’s a difference between feeling something, and science. And I’m gonna believe the science on this. CDC scientists have spent their lives going to school and studying pandemics. I think they know more about it than my feelings.
Anyway, the article. It was about rural areas — our area. South Bend was literally mentioned as an example. We are not insulated from Covid-19, but merely delayed, and a significant number of rural folks are not taking this seriously. We all see it. Not wearing masks to stores, not social distancing. And now gathering in crowds to protest, armed. It’s hitting rural areas like ours across the country, areas that are not prepared, that don’t have the medical capacity, that have small hospitals with few ventilators, and who are at the end of the supply chain in getting everything, from toilet paper to ventilators and PPE. And those hospitals are having to furlough staff now, until the wave hits. I hope it doesn’t hit.
If you can, please stay home, stay the course, continue to flatten the curve. If you don’t care about yourself getting sick, please think about your family, the older people you know, the kids and folks with compromised immune systems, the healthcare workers who are working their butts off to save lives. They are the brave ones.
Song of the day: Brave, Sara Bareilles
Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi/fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com.
