It now has been nine months since lockdowns went into effect in many states, including here in Massachusetts on March 16. However, despite all of our previous efforts, the COVID-19 pandemic is surging across the entire United States.
The pleas of public health and government officials can only go so far if Americans fail to heed their warnings and do not take the common-sense and easy-to-follow steps of wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, and not congregating in group settings of any kind.
With the promise of a vaccine on the horizon, this is no time to let our guard down. The virus is everywhere and no one is safe from it. Each and every one of us must assume personal responsibility for the safety of ourselves, our families, and our friends.
The coronavirus is a living organism that is stalking us wherever we go and whatever we do. We are its prey — and it requires that we must be ever-vigilant in order to avoid becoming another victim and spreading it to others.
Selfishness and failure to follow the rules simply are not options amidst this widening pandemic.