Chief nurse at Visalia’s Kaweah Delta hospital on how to be COVID safe this Labor Day
You know the rules for protecting yourself and others from COVID-19. You probably even dream about them, they’ve been said so many times.
Wear a mask.
Wash your hands. A lot.
Watch your distance to others.
It’s hard. We know. The team at Kaweah Delta Medical Center does these things, too, even though we want to hug and high five our friends as much as anyone.
It’s extra hard knowing that summer is waning. The amount of daylight is getting smaller, and soon (we hope) the rainy season will arrive. But we didn’t get to do the barbecues, the pool parties, the concerts, and the movies like we usually do. And now Labor Day is almost here, that last weekend to do all the fun stuff before we hunker down with school or work.
Tempting as it will be to sneak in one party, one night out, one day with friends before summer ends, we are asking you not to do it. We’ve just gotten to a point where COVID infections are starting to go down a little, but that could change quickly if people in our community let down their guard. We saw a large spike in COVID cases after the 4th of July.
Our community has done an amazing job making changes and putting guidelines in place to help ensure the safety of one another. The balance everyone has created is making an impact for the health of people in our county, and we hope we can continue in this manner. Please visit your favorite stores, restaurants and parks, just keep wearing your mask and distancing to keep this virus from spreading.
Maybe it seems one little gathering won’t make that much difference. You could be right. But what if everyone thinks that? The more people get together with groups of people that they haven’t been around for months, the greater the likelihood that someone is carrying the virus and can pass it on to someone in this group. They may not even feel sick yet. We have seen it happen repeatedly — people just do not realize they are sick with COVID-19 and the virus passes easily since we are not immune to it yet.
Every gathering can spread the virus beyond the 10, 20, 50 or 100 people there. Most of those attending will go to work the Tuesday after Labor Day, or to school, or the store, or to see their grandparents or other family members. Exponentially, the virus’ reach grows.
Please, avoid gatherings with people who aren’t part of your “bubble.” That way, you protect yourself and your bubble, whether it includes your family, your next-door neighbors, or your co-workers.
But you can still have fun. Get together with your bubble. Have a contest for the coolest mask. Get some takeout, in individual boxes, and have a great meal. Come up with creative “fines” for people who forget to social distance — maybe they have to bring the drinks next time, or host a real party once the threat of COVID is over.
We don’t know when that will be. But we do know that the more care you take now, the sooner that day will come. Letting down your guard too soon means we have to take precautions for a longer period of time.
Learning to accept delayed gratification is a reality. It’s harder to do when you’re under stress, which we all certainly are. But you can only achieve your goals when you don’t give in to those desires of wanting something now.
Our goal is to get life back to normal for everyone. Help us make that happen as soon as possible.
Wear a mask.
Wash your hands. A lot.
Watch your distance to others.
Have a safe rest of your summer and Labor Day weekend.
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 10:36 AM.