Stay Home to SAVE LIVES!

Sit with me and have a virtual cup of tea. We need to talk. I'll start by telling you I haven't been out in public since March 15th. Partially because I'm dead afraid of facing this virus while I battle what's already wrong with me. Mostly because I care about human life. I've never before been in a situation where I can save lives by doing nothing. 

Let that sink in for a moment. Doing nothing can save human lives!

I've already talked to a huge pile of people who just keep telling me they aren't afraid of getting the virus. That's fine, but it's not about them. It's about keeping the vulnerable among us alive. If we can keep the number of new cases low enough, we won't completely overwhelm the medical system, and people won't have to die just because there aren't enough ventilators, or medicine to keep them alive.

How hard is it to stay home unless you are a vital worker? My husband is a vital worker. He repairs water wells. He has to go out in public, and interact with people, and surfaces. People need water. What that means, as his spouse, is that I come in contact with those people, and anyone they have come in contact with, and anyone those people have come in contact with. Scary right?

What that means is I have to consider myself a carrier. I need to stay away from others as if I am already sick. Not because I'm afraid of getting sick, but because I could kill your grandmother, or your mother, or your uncle, and I don't NEED to.

I'm an author. I can do my job from my desk at home. I don't need to go and spend time with friends. I don't need to go to the store. I can just stay where I am. 

There are a lot of people who can't do that. They are vital workers, or too poor to miss work and still feed their family. They have my respect and my sympathy. But to everyone who is not in that situation; to everyone who is working from home; to everyone who doesn't have to leave their house: don't do it! Don't make five trips to the grocery store this week. Don't wander around and shop because you're bored (you can do that online.) Don't gather with friends and neighbors. 

Wear your pajamas all day. Binge watch a show you've been meaning to see. Deep clean your house. Don't clean your house. Learn to knit. Whatever you do, do it at home. Stay home because you don't want to get sick. Stay home because you might be a carrier. Stay home because in doing so, you may save a life, or even dozens.