Thread by @sperte

It’s now been 15 days of COVID-19 self-distancing for my family here in Kirkland, WA. Literally: no leaving the house, no guests.

No work commute, no school, no church, no ballet, no martial arts, no flag football, no errands, no shopping, no family gatherings, no hanging with friends...

We felt very much alone the first week. Schools and business were still all operating normally, and grocery store shelves were full. After 8 days we even started to consider breaking our social distancing so that we could at least feel connected with society again.

Since then it’s gotten easier… unfortunately. Now most of the choices have been removed as businesses and schools are suspending normal operations. But this is still a massive shift in our life and lifestyle.

It’s heartbreaking, too. We had to cancel a trip with friends. We’ll be celebrating two of our kids’ birthdays at home, with just us. My daughter will miss her Spring ballet performance, and her regional reading championship after the team she captains advanced twice already…

That’s not to mention the several necessary things we will miss or need to reschedule: like haircuts, doctor appointments, clinic consultations, etc.

We’re reminding the kids (and ourselves) that even though it’s a drag, it’s not for forever. And it’s not because we’re scared, and not because we’re isolating ourselves for self-preservation.

We recognize our privilege. It’s a blessing to be able to work from home. Many cannot, and we are so very grateful for the many service workers who support our community.

We also recognize our part in the community. We’re a 6-person family, with many connections. We could easily be carriers of the virus without knowing, and endanger others just by our living our normal lives.

To say that we have overreacted out of fear or panic is nonsense. We’re not fearful and not panicking. We’re being abundantly cautious. We’re being calculated, as best we can be with the information we have.

We are not reacting to what we see in the media either, btw. We’re heeding the advice of professionals — including those who have been studying and tracking these sorts of viral threats for years — and making decisions based on facts, not fear.

But here’s the reason I’m posting today...

Without others following our lead and social distancing, all the efforts to close schools, cancel events, and work from home, will be in vain.

I am greatly disturbed to see social media of people still out and about, living normally, with captions like “coronavirus ain’t stoppin’ [bar crawl/church/game night/date night/brunch with besties] lol”. Some of the worst examples I’ve seen today are from people going to church!

Social distancing is this: if you’re not required to be out and about, stay home.

If you’re not staying home, I have to assume it means one of three things…

1. You don’t believe the threat is real or is as bad as people say it is. Maybe you think the media is blowing it out of proportion and think everyone — including now the federal government — is overreacting.

2. You don’t think the social distancing applies to you. Maybe you think you’re young and healthy, or maybe you think you’re doing your part by washing your hands and “being careful” (whatever that means).

3. You don’t understand. Maybe you just haven’t heard or know about social distancing. Maybe you’ve been too busy or distracted and haven’t learned what is required of us to help flatten the curve.

My friends, if you are in any of those three categories, please please please consider changing.

If you’re in the first category and you believe this situation is being overhyped, please take some time to read this article: medium.com/@tomaspueyo/co…

If you’re in the second category, and you’re not making sacrifices to minimize your movement and social contact, please read this article: graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-S…

If you’re in the third category, and haven’t heard how social distancing can help, please read this article: washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/…

Look, I hope the data is wrong. I hope the examples from China and South Korea and Iran and Italy are all circumstantial.

I hope the virus doesn’t spread here like it did in those countries, and that our doctors aren’t forced to begin making the decision who lives and who dies. I hope the economic and social damage doesn’t become long-lasting or irreversible.

But what if the data isn’t wrong?

This virus is likely not life threatening to you. It might not even be life threatening to 99.999% of people you know. But please know: it does have the potential to knock you on your butt for a few days, and could knock the proverbial wind out of our society at large.

The measures we’ve already taken, as costly as they’ve already been, could be just the beginning.

Maybe we need to change the narrative? Instead of fearing death or even illness, we need to fear the social and economic ramifications of not flattening the curve. We need to fear the impact of the virus spreading, not just being ill or dying.

Please: if you can, make every effort to minimize your movement and contact with others. Help us flatten the curve. Act as though you are already infected — because you might be.

ADDENDUM:
Here’s a cheat sheet…

You’re probably in category 1 if:
- you’re politicizing the situation
- you’ve compared COVID-19 to the flu (or anything else)
- you’re circulating articles and comments with the intent to calm everybody down
- you think and have said something like “the real enemy is fear”

You’re probably in category 2 if:
- you live in an area w/ a reported community-spread infection, and you’ve had contact with anyone you didn’t absolutely have to
- you’re making excuses or defending yourself (even if only in your mind)
- you’ve invited people over to your house

You’re probably in category 3 if:
- you find yourself surprised by my reaction or the reaction of folks you know and trust
- you're only following the news of the virus through memes
- you haven't yet internalized your personal responsibility in all of this