Tomorrow is the first day of Phase 1 for reopening our state. We have flattened the curve in Smith County – three Covid-19 related deaths in our population of 233,000 since our first case on March 13. The purpose of the stay-at-home order was to slow the spread of the virus and we have done that. Whether we will need to shut down again will depend on how responsibly we come out of this one.
It is inevitable that we will have a second wave of cases when we start reopening things, no matter how late or cautiously we open. We must be prepared for this not just medically, but also psychologically. If we panic at a small rise in cases or deaths and rush to close down again, then we will have a third wave when we reopen again and so on. The goal is to keep the number of new cases manageable through phased reopening and social distancing so we avoid shortages in hospital resources and can minimize the number of deaths.
Norway has already opened up nursery and kindergarten schools, thus exposing its least vulnerable group to the virus first so they can start building immunity safely. Next will be adolescents and young adults.
We need to come out of our homes with caution. We must not rush to normalize things or we will pay a steep price that will force us to shut down again. High risk people should continue to take steps to protect themselves as low risk people are slowly exposed.
If you don’t feel ready to come out, then don’t. If you are ready, then please do so responsibly.
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