04/09/2020
First, I hope that you and your families all continue to be healthy. This was clearly a very difficult week for many.
The extent of the impact of the virus depends a little on where you live, but truly, this is affecting all of us.
There are a few things that have become clear:
1) We can all do our part to slow the spread of COVID by personally following rules, such as physical distancing, washing our hands frequently, and staying at home when possible;
2) We can also slow the spread by assisting the elderly and others vulnerable to illness, whether they are family members or other community members, so they avoid going out and potentially exposing themselves to the virus;
3) We will get through this and get back to a more normal life; and,
4) This will take some time. The COVID fight will be a long process and will pass in fits and starts, not all at once.
Many of us are longing for life to return to normal. This pandemic will end. After that (in some period of time) the world will establish a “new normal”. No one knows exactly what that new normal will look like. It will likely look different than life did before the pandemic. While it is good to look forward to the post-pandemic world, we MUST also continue to focus on the here and now. The current situation (lock downs/physical distancing, etc.) will last for some time. We know it will last at least until the end of April and likely longer, as the virus rolls through different geographies.
The point is, we are already in a “new normal”. It still feels unusual, but most of us are settling into this current new normal. None of us like it, but we are all adapting to it.
It is a choice we must make at all times and wherever we are. Do not let your guard down thinking that, by chance, a small diversion from what is required will only result in a “small” hurt. This approach and lack of attention or complacency are not good thought processes. Stopping to think things through is. It is a behavior to adapt, and we adapt it because we choose to do so for ourselves and for the well-being of others. Never let chance dictate the outcome.
Please, please do not get complacent. Do not take short cuts. Follow all of the COVID rules AND our safety practices. Identify and report incidents, injuries and the potential for safety incidents. Do not let the current situation distract you from following ALL of our safety processes now enhanced by our COVID processes (at work and at home).
There is no more important time for each of us to look out for our own safety and that of our co-workers.
This will not only keep us and our co-workers as safe and healthy as possible, but will also help us to protect our families, our communities, and bring us all a few steps closer to our future new normal.
Take good care.
THE PLUG
