When Governor Tate Reeves issued his shelter-in-place order last week, I was relieved.
For weeks, I have been covering the coronavirus pandemic, and each day, I get a report from the Mississippi Department of Health with the updated number of confirmed cases and death count. Every day, the numbers grow.
In Montgomery County, as of press time Wednesday, there were 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus and one death. In Carroll County, there were seven confirmed cases. Statewide, there were 2003 confirmed cases and 67 deaths.
With around three million people living in Mississippi, 2003 confirmed cases is only the tip of the iceberg. Last week, Dr. DeWayne Gammel with Crossroads Family Medicine told me a large majority – 90 percent is the number he used – would never know they were infected with the virus due to having no symptoms. That is good news, and that is bad news.
If 90 percent of those infected with the coronavirus have no symptoms, they are unaware that they can spread it to other people – people who may be considered high risk like the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. People who are high risk are much more likely to have severe cases that could lead to hospitalization or even death.
This is why the shelter-in-place order is so important. By staying at home and only venturing out for essentials, we can limit the spread of coronavirus and prevent more people from dying from the virus.
So, yes, the shelter-in-place order applies to you and me and everyone in the community. Even those of us who are considered “essential” workers, we must also adhere to the order to limit unnecessary trips away from home and limit in-person contact with those outside our immediate families.
If a family that needs to purchase groceries or other supplies, send one person to the store to shop. And if there is a way to conduct business over the telephone or via email, do it!
Since this pandemic started, I have filled my prescriptions, ordered food to comfort a grieving family, ordered plants for my garden, ordered contact lenses, and purchased Easter gifts over the phone or by email from a local business. It was painless, and our hometown folks will bend over backward to assist in any way they can.
The only problem I’ve had with trying to do business virtually was a chain store located out-of-town, and you know what? I have learned my lesson – never again!
I know staying at home has played on people’s nerves. Children are bored and missing their friends. Parents are tired of cooking and cleaning and listening to bored children whine. We miss our friends and family, and FaceTime seems like our only connection to them.
But please, please, follow the shelter-in-place order! If people refuse to adhere to the rules, the longer we will be made to stay in our homes. And yes, the rules apply to everyone!
One last thing, for businesses not considered “essential,” you are VERY essential to this community. In fact, EVERY business and public agency – including our hospital, clinics, home health agencies, and first responders -- is important to this community, and we have seen how much over and over again during this trying time. We all need to appreciate what we have available in our community.
When this crisis is over, and all local businesses are open and functioning as usual, I hope people will remember what this community was like without their doors open. I hope people will make a greater effort to support those who have worked so hard to provide for all of us in a time of need. Our gratitude is the very least we can do.
