By Executive Order we are “On Pause” mode in NYS. It requires big changes in how we live our daily lives. The Governor’s 10-point NYS “ON PAUSE” plan is as follows:
- Effective at 8PM on Sunday, March 22, all non-essential businesses statewide will be closed;
- Non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason (e.g. parties, celebrations or other social events) are canceled or postponed at this time;
- Any concentration of individuals outside their home must be limited to workers providing essential services and social distancing should be practiced;
- When in public individuals must practice social distancing of at least six feet from others;
- Businesses and entities that provide other essential services must implement rules that help facilitate social distancing of at least six feet;
- Individuals should limit outdoor recreational activities to non-contact and avoid activities where they come in close contact with other people;
- Individuals should limit use of public transportation to when absolutely necessary and should limit potential exposure by spacing out at least six feet from other riders;
- Sick individuals should not leave their home unless to receive medical care and only after a telehealth visit to determine if leaving the home is in the best interest of their health;
- Young people should also practice social distancing and avoid contact with vulnerable populations; and
- Use precautionary sanitizer practices such as using isopropyl alcohol wipes.
“Matilda’s Law” includes the following rules for vulnerable populations:
- Remain indoors;
- Can go outside for solitary exercise;
- Pre-screen all visitors and aides by taking their temperature and seeing if person is exhibiting other flu-like symptoms;
- Do not visit households with multiple people;
- Wear a mask when in the company of others;
- To the greatest extent possible, everyone in the presence of vulnerable people should wear a mask;
- Always stay at least six feet away from individuals; and
- Do not take public transportation unless urgent and absolutely necessary.
Some other states call similar plans it “Shelter in Place” which is an odd term used in school shooter trainings. I think it used to be hide, run and fight but now it is run, hide, and fight. It elicits some memories and emotions I experienced during a “Shooter Drill”, a mandatory training we had several years ago that was quite an event and no doubt led to a few sleepless nights for some. Local law enforcement paired with our school to give us a realistic experience of what a “shooting event” might be like. It came with guns with blanks being fired by officers and the shooter and wounded people lying in the hallways crying for help. If we decided to escape we were instructed to just walk past them. Talk about trauma! We were put in groups in classrooms, as if conducting a class when shots were heard and the school alarm went off with a loud warning that a shooter was on campus. We then had to decide what to do: hide, run, or fight. Most of us barricaded the doors and stayed in the room. It was surreal to hear a gunshot right outside your door and then see the doorknob jiggle on the locked door. The debriefing after the event was not adequate. I’m not sure what would have been. It really did traumatize some hence the sleepless nights. I imagine alcohol use was up that day too. The newer trainings emphasize running when you have the chance. This is really a terrible forced choice type question. How does one know when to run? How can you actually make such a decision for a class of students? The other issue is I did a lot of shooting growing up with assorted weapons including rifles, at targets and hunting game to be clear. You had better be 500 or more yards away and running erratically or you have a good chance of being shot.
This is what I think of when I hear “Shelter in Place”. I suppose the shelter in place declarations are being utilized because there is this sense that we are being chased by an invader who is trying to do us harm and we feel very vulnerable, even trapped, and have to make choices that amount to risk management. This invisible, odorless invader is undetectable until we show symptoms. Worse yet, we may be asymptomatic and passing it on to others unknowingly. A lot of us are going to be infected and despite precautions we just don’t know if we, or the people close to us, are safe. This type of uncertainty is extremely stressful. Then there is the stress of job loss leading to economic stress and the general loss of any type of routine to our day. Exercise, shopping, even our media habits are affected. No more relaxing to the NY Knicks shooting air balls for a couple of hours. And no English Premier League Soccer! But I did enjoy watching a rerun of the last World Cup. The French Keeper committed one of the most outrageous gaffes in sports history. He is lucky they won or his name would have been associated with the loss forever like poor Bill Buckner and the Red Sox.
So here in NYS non-essential people/workers must stay home and non-essential businesses must close. Did you know liquor stores were essential? So are landscape and pool services and phone and computer sales. Lucky for them…I think. The shelves in the stores are starting to be less empty, except for toilet paper of course. There was box of 60 rolls delivered to my apartment complex sitting in the entryway. If it was for me I would have picked it up under the cover of darkness so I did not receive disapproving looks for being a hoarder. So how do we manage this crisis as individuals and collectively. Well, we can hoard soup, pasta, Purell, and of course toilet paper. We can buy guns and ammunition as sales are way up. Apparently some have a lot to protect. We can choose to follow “On Pause” as best we can. We can reflect on the flaws of our economic system and use this as an opportunity to consider how interdependent the world’s economic systems are. We can expand that reflection to include interdependence on a larger scale, viewing ourselves as part of a biosphere that we are intricately connected with. We can also apply compassion for ourselves and each other. This is a stressful time. Consider joining some of your local organizations that are reaching out to help those in need. You can do this without putting yourself at risk. What I mean is you do not have to be in physical proximity to help. A phone call to check in with someone or a visit to drop off food can help. And offer some gratitude to those providing healthcare to those who need it. They are under tremendous stress. You can also appreciate all those who continue to work in essential services, like the people at the grocery stores, who are underpaid and at risk of becoming ill. Consider the many who have to come to work to pay their bills and those who are now unemployed and facing economic peril. You can contact your local politicians and ask them what they plan to do about our present situation. How are our public servants going to support us during these difficult times? And maybe you can even spare a roll of toilet paper.