Today in Washington Grove, the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging us individually and together as society. I want to offer my personal take on these two challenges. We – as a community of families and individuals – have risen to the challenge of complying with the drastic public health measures that have disrupted all aspects of our lives. At-home restrictions and social distancing are our daily mantras. We have closed facilities and taken Town business online. And in the Grove spirit of togetherness we continue to offer assistance to our neighbors in need. By now we all recognize these restrictions have been imposed for good reasons, aiming to limit the numbers of us developing severe disease, to head-off overwhelming our medical system’s capacity to provide life-saving medical intervention, and to prevent deaths.
As individuals our first concern is to avoid getting COVID-19. While community protections are in place, we each bear the greater responsibility for protecting ourselves from the disease. This is mostly, and simply, a matter of prudent personal hygiene. While engaging in the essential activities of our interrupted lives we cannot avoid the risk of interacting with other individuals. Make no mistake, our most effective defense against contracting this disease and then retransmitting it to others is to rigorously follow recommended personal hygiene and behavior.
In Washington Grove you continue to rise to these challenges in so many ways. Let’s continue to cooperate as individuals and as community, and we will emerge safe and sane from this crisis together.
Respectfully,
Mayor