Forwarded from a dear friend:
This was posted by Adrian Daller of Fairfield IA. Read and take heed:
Nate and I tested positive for COVID even though we've been extremely cautious
- masks outdoors, rarely going in buildings, homeschooling, tiny bubble of
people we were seeing who were equally cautious. We've taken a financial hit
because of these choices but are fortunate enough to have a roof over our heads
and food on the table. We're asymptomatic so far, and our kids tested negative,
but we could have given it to family members who we were cautiously seeing
after months apart. They all tested negative, but we spent several days with
the very real possibility that we could have given it to elderly family
members. And the only reason we got tested is because someone else in our
bubble tested positive. Otherwise we never would have known. We thought of
ourselves as the safe people who were following all the rules..
People who know me well, know why we made the choice to be this cautious but
it's nobody's business, really. I wish I didn't have to prove why we're being
cautious -- that knowing folks in your community have their reasons for trying
to stay healthy could be enough of a reason to be cautious yourself. I wish
that my community members were willing to take the precautions to keep others
safe instead of refusing because of political stance or because you personally
don't believe this is the right way deal with a pandemic, or you have your own
theory about it that differs from what doctors are recommending. That's all
your prerogative, but I still believe it's possible to take the precautions as
best you can out of compassion for those around you. I know there are those who
say, "well, we're all gonna get it anyway," and choose to continue as normal.
But when you make that choice, you're making it for your entire community,
including people with health conditions and others more at-risk than you may be
(and there have been cases of reinfection in our own county).
There is a very real possibility that you could be carrying the virus without
knowing and pass it to someone - or someone's relative - who dies from it.
I know there are people who have to go to work or your business will close. Or
you'll lose your job and won't have a way to sustain yourself or your family.
Or your kids have to go to school. There are many who need help with small
children - can you imagine staying by yourself indoors with a toddler for
months on end? Plenty of very legit and unavoidable reasons to be around
others. But those who DO have a choice have the opportunity to play it even
safer for the benefit of those who don't.
I mainly wanted to post this because we're going into several months of more
indoor time, lowered immunity, and family gatherings around the holidays. If
you have the choice, please think about prioritizing the safety of those around
you over the quality of your lifestyle over the coming months. Consider
cancelling gatherings. Again, I am well aware that many of you do not have the
option to completely quarantine yourself. I'm writing this for those of you who
do have that choice. đź’—
