In so many ways we are lucky:
We have the right to vote for whoever we want.
We have the right to freedom of expression.
We have the right to practice our religion or no religion at all.
But what we don’t have the right to do is make each other sick.
We all know that the number of COVID cases in Great Neck is climbing.
We are in the midst of a pandemic, a medical crisis that threatens the very core of each and everyone of us: our health. This is a challenging time. For those of us who have worked in the trauma field, we know that the only thing that is normal during a crisis is that nothing is normal. As it gets colder and the days get shorter, we are facing the prospect of spending more time at home, isolation from family and friends we had been seeing outside during the warmer months, and, yes, the threat of more of us coming down with Covid.
Some of us have already had the virus, suffering in isolation with sometimes horrifying and/or unexplainable symptoms. Some of us had persistent coughs, episodes of gasping for air, not being able to taste or smell a thing, fevers and a host of other symptoms. Some spent weeks in the hospital alone and in fear and, as we know, some of our friends and loved ones lost their battle with Covid. And, for many, the mental anguish of waiting as each day passed to see if our loved ones contracted the virus from us was unbearable.
This virus is not a joke. It has no religion. It has no ethnicity. It has no race and it has no political view. It just wants to attack any human soul it can. We don’t have the luxury right now to make this into a political, philosophical or any other kind of battle. The only battle we need to engage in now is the one with the virus itself. We need to behave like adults, unite in the face of this pandemic and fight to keep each other as safe and healthy as possible.
Simply put, there are too many people in Great Neck who are not following the guidelines put forth by the CDC and other health organizations and, therefore, we are putting each other at risk. Whoever we are and whatever our beliefs, we all frequent the same set of schools, grocery stores, shops, post offices, banks, and medical buildings. The only way to keep our families and ourselves safe is to keep each other safe as well. We need to be heroes in the eyes of our children and in our community. These are trying times and we need to rise up and do the four things recommended by the medical community we currently know will limit the spread:
1. Wash our hands as often as possible for at least 20 seconds (sing Happy Birthday twice)
2. Maintain social distancing when around others
3. Do not assemble in large groups
4. Always wear a mask when near others who aren’t in your immediate family or pod
I trust that in the face of this adversity, we will show our strength by coming together as a community to join in this fight against Covid.
Andrea Katz
Great Neck
