Stay calm, bump elbows and fight unreasonable coronavirus fear in Stanislaus County
It’s here. But it’s not time to panic.
The first couple of coronavirus cases were confirmed Wednesday in Stanislaus County. People hoped it might take longer to reach us, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time.
Organizers of the AgSafe Food and Farms Health Fair and the Stanislaus Community Foundation’s Cradle to Career Summit are looking awfully smart. Even before we knew for sure that the dreaded virus had reached us, both postponed events that were to be held this week at Modesto Centre Plaza.
Also, the Camellia Society’s March 21-22 show at the Gallo Arts Center was scrapped, and U.S. Rep. Josh Harder turned a town hall Wednesday into a phone-in event, The Bee’s ChrisAnna Mink reports.
Nothing suggests that organizers overreacted in fear. That’s good.
Caution is a wise reaction, especially when our health and well-being are at stake. Fear is harmful.
Fear tells us to withdraw, to shun, to stop trusting. Fear is bad for community and bad for our souls.
It’s somewhat reassuring that our schools haven’t freaked out and closed, not yet at least. All local campuses that we know of, from Modesto City Schools to Modesto Junior College to Stanislaus State University, remain open for now, The Bee’s Ken Carlson reports, although some non-essential travel and field trips have been put on hold. Schools are looking to the county public health officer for advice, and she’s following informed state protocol.
That’s a reasonable approach.
Yes, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, San Francisco State and San Jose State have closed. All are in the Bay Area, where a woman has died of COVID-19 and where more cases are confirmed. We’re not there — not yet.
In coming days and weeks, you will see more events canceled. The downside from the few adjustments announced so far doesn’t seem severe. Most participants can wait until things calm down and these events are rescheduled, without much harm.
We also hope that news of these pre-emptive strikes doesn’t strike needless fear in hearts of our people.
Dr. Abdu Sharkawy, an infectious diseases specialist in Toronto, wrote that he’s “not scared of COVID-19” in an InsideSources column. “What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter in a post-apocalyptic world.”
That kind of debilitating fear makes us less human. Let’s avoid it, while committing to behavior upgrades that make sense, like frequent and effective hand-washing. For the time being, we can greet each other with elbow bumps instead of handshakes or embraces, without sacrificing much friendliness. I’m not, however, on the “don’t touch your face!” bandwagon, which is frankly impossible to teach ourselves or others, if we’re honest.
“Mostly, I’m scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat,” Sharkawy continued. “Instead of reason, rationality, openmindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.”
Let’s continue to prepare, with calm and caution. Life is worth preserving, but it’s also worth living.
