Neptune Beach, FL
It has been 16 days since my initial COVID19 post when our way of life was changing so rapidly, it was difficult to capture every aspect as it felt like it was happening at lightning speed. We have all learned that proper COVID19 testing procedures and the length of time to get results are a major component of successfully getting control of the situation as well as accurately reporting the numbers. Leaving aside theories of deceptive reporting tactics from other countries and arguments about the best source to obtain the truest numbers, the data reported from the CDC and The FL Dept. of Health show a dramatic increase:
| March 20, 2020 | April 5, 2020 | |
| Florida Cases | 520 | 12,151 |
| Duval County Cases | 15 | 414 |
| FL Deaths | 10 | 218 |
| U.S. Cases | 16,638 | 331,2345 |
| U.S. Deaths | 216 | 9,441 |
| Global Cases | 259,215 | 1,263,976 |
| Global Deaths | 11,268 | 68,413 |
This is such an extraordinarily strange event to be processing, it seems as if it would be a unifying force. We in the United States have not been so unified lately, and I initially thought this would be the thing to bring us to the desired middle place where we all seem to truly want to be, but the reality is puzzling. The divides are not dissolving, but rather there is a disturbing undercurrent of deepening conviction. We all want to meet in the middle, but it takes consistent steps on both sides, even minuscule, to realistically ever get there. I, like so many of our country’s citizens, have strong opinions about this topic. How can we harness this passion to start making that move to the middle? Of course, we are not all going to be arm-in-arm singing Kumbaya, happily driving down the road. The conflicts, the disagreements, and the fundamentally different way of looking at things will always be there, but surely we can elevate the discourse. This event is going to leave us in a place where we all need to work together; it will be such a nicer work environment if we reestablish a basic standard of civility.
I can be both an activist and a peacekeeper
I can demonstrate my pride and gratitude for having the great fortune to be born and raised in the United States while still being an engaged, responsible global citizen
COVID19 has upended our everyday. The lives lost, the jobs lost, the utterly bewildering way this enemy crept up on us…. But now we see it, and I have faith we can emerge from the fight stronger as a unit and prepared to rebuild.
#flattenthecurve #CoronaVirus #COVID19 #WeAreAB