Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 16
If possible, stay home, Minnesota
We can reduce the COVID-19 spread and lessen burden on health care system.
As Americans come to terms with the rapid spread of COVID-19, fear is a natural response.
Yet panic will help no one. Instead, it’s time to come together and commit to following the advice of health care and public officials. Start with staying home as much as possible.
Health experts worry that too many Americans are not taking the coronavirus threat seriously, instead adopting an “it can’t be that bad” attitude. But it is bad - as health professionals confirm and the Star Tribune Editorial Board has argued for the past month. Limiting contact with individuals is a critical step each one of us can take to slow down the spread of the highly contagious virus.
Of course the other well-publicized hygienic efforts matter as well - including thorough hand-washing and sanitizing frequently touched surfaces. And if your work or other legitimate needs require you to leave home - as is clearly the case with first responders and health care professionals - practicing social distancing is strongly advised.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already had revised its COVID-19 guidelines from avoiding groups of 200 to 50, but on Monday the White House set that number at 10. This no time for large gatherings, even among friends.
Although it will cause significant hardship for business owners and their employees, Gov. Tim Walz appropriately moved Monday to close restaurants, bars and other venues where Minnesotans gather, although takeout, delivery and drive-through food sales can continue.
In additional to staying home, relying on trusted sources of information - such as the CDC, the Minnesota Department of Health, Mayo Clinic and M Health Fairview - is critical. Sadly, there is false, predatory and sometime dangerous material spreading online as fast as the virus itself. Beware of scams about phony cures, fake coronavirus test kits or “miracle” drugs.
As Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has pointed out, state residents should be on the lookout for scammers trying to take advantage of the pandemic. He said fraudulent groups may pose as charities soliciting donations and that people should only donate to reputable organizations.
Price-gouging essentials like food and medical supplies may happen and should be reported to the state. Virus-related information for Minnesota consumers can be found at the attorney general’s office website.
Even with the emphasis on distancing, we should take care to try to care for those for whom social isolation can exacerbate loneliness and depression. Try to stay connected online or by phone.
Keep in mind that older family members, friends and neighbors are at a higher risk to become seriously ill from the virus. If you’re healthy and not at risk, follow the examples of some younger adults who are offering to pick up supplies and food for their elderly neighbors.
For more guidance on making smart decisions about daily behavior, be sure to check out the recommendations in the commentary “The best thing everyday Americans can do to fight coronavirus? #StayHome, save lives,” first published in USA Today.
We’re in this together, but for now the best way to contribute to public health is to stay apart.
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The Free Press of Mankato, March 17
Panic stockpiling unnecessary, causing more angst
Why it matters: Stockpiling more than needed is unnecessary and selfish, denying those with less the essentials they need.
The coronavirus pandemic is unlike anything most have seen before. A novel virus, sometimes mixed messages to the public, a measure of fear and above all uncertainty.
So it isn’t surprising that people are buying extra supplies. It’s a natural survival reaction and in many cases it makes good sense. People don’t want to be out doing a lot of extra shopping, so having staples on hand is reasonable. And people want cleaning and disinfecting supplies to clean their homes and office spaces to keep their families, colleagues and others as safe as possible.
But what we’ve seen locally and across the state and nation goes far beyond cautious stockpiling. A panicked run on toilet paper has been one of the most obvious displays of excessive hoarding. Stores everyone have bare shelves, after people bought carts full of toilet paper. That triggered more panic as shoppers, seeing the shelves emptying, decided they’d better stock up, even if they don’t really need it.
The temporary shortages have prompted price gouging by some unscrupulous stores, or by individuals who bought up large stocks of items to resell.
Hoarding much more than needed isn’t just unnecessary, it’s a selfish act that harms others.
Many people with lower incomes can only afford to buy the things they need for the week ahead. They don’t have a stockpile of staples, including toilet paper at home to carry them over.
Clearing the shelves of toilet paper and other staples when you don’t need them also hurts food shelves and other nonprofits who lend a hand to people in need. If people can’t buy toilet paper and other non-perishables they won’t be donating it to those agencies and those who need them won’t get them.
In many respects, the COVID-19 outbreak has brought out the best in humanity. Most people are showing genuine concern and taking the safety measures recommended to help safeguard themselves and their families and to slow the spread of the virus.
But it also brings out some of the worst attributes of human nature. Selfish hoarding only adds to the anxiety at a time when caution and calm are needed.
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St. Cloud Times, March 13
A week into COVID-19, be smart but don’t panic
Be prepared. But don’t panic.
Central Minnesotans, along with the rest of America, spent much of the past week trying (and sometimes failing) to balance those goals as the COVID-19 coronavirus reached a pandemic level.
Smart actions started with emphasizing thorough hand-washing and staying home when you’re sick. Meanwhile, needless panic could be seen in some people purchasing massive quantities of toilet paper.
As the week progressed, smart steps taken included limiting attendance at public events, especially sports, and eventually cancelling those altogether. It was the right thing to do.
Certainly, those steps were painful to the participants. But public health - and the need to slow the spread of COVID-19 - is the overriding priority. At this point, any organization planning an event needs to ask themselves if the reward is worth the risk. Until we know more, the answer is “probably not.”
Declarations of emergency from President Trump and Gov. Tim Walz on Friday - again, smart steps - have now made that priority crystal clear.
The real test going forward for Central Minnesotans is if we act accordingly.
COVID-19 is no longer just a faraway threat on another continent, country or cruise ship. The threat is right here in Central Minnesota - and it’s growing.
What will you do?
Be smart but don’t panic.
In addition to the smart steps taken to this point, it’s time to pay even more attention to advice coming from credible sources about COVID-19.
Two of the best big-picture sources are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( cdc.gov ) and the World Health Organization at who.int. For Minnesota-specific information, the state Department of Health is at https://www.health.state.mn.us/. From there, you can find information about the virus in the state.
Of course, there are countless other web sites and scores of articles, blogs and social-media posts online. Consume them at your own risk - and ideally with a bit of research on the source. Share them keeping in mind “be smart but don’t panic.”
Being smart also means knowing your health status in relation to the risks of contracting coronavirus and who faces the highest risk from it.
The sources above have made it crystal clear that COVID-19 poses a higher risk to older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes or lung disease.
Those experts are also stressing the coronavirus spreads easily, which is driving recommendations that people avoid large groups and even close contact among individuals.
Taken together, these factors - serious, potentially deadly risks for susceptible people and easily spreading the virus - provide the context behind the emergency declarations and mass cancellations, postponements and suspensions of public events.
And they are why we should not be surprised to see even more people, businesses and organizations - on the advice of credible experts - take the steps they see as necessary to protect themselves and slow the COVID-19 spread to others: remote work, limited access to facilities, limited hours, new processes - whatever it takes.
Be smart and don’t panic. Focus on protecting yourself and others by following the advice of experts, not the lines of panicked shoppers at the store.
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