Editorial: COVID-19 Rages On. This Is No Time for Complacency.
Summer is over. The weather has turned chillier, people are spending more time indoors, and “we’re heading the wrong way,” Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s public health commissioner, warned Monday. The number of COVID-19 cases in the city is rising — suddenly and forcefully.
This is bad news that requires an immediate response from everyone: double down on preventing the spread of the virus before the surge of cases explodes, hospitalizations increase and the city and state feel compelled to reimpose stricter lockdown rules. If that happens, economic activity will be curtailed and more people will lose jobs and income. Ignore the risks and this virus will bite hard. That’s the lesson Illinoisans can’t afford to forget.
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The American Health Association and National Center for Assisted Living, organizations of nursing homes, warned that long term care facilities could see a third spike in COVID cases due to community spread. Weekly nursing home cases rose “in late September for the first time in seven weeks after new cases dropped significantly throughout August and early September,” the group said. To protect vulnerable populations, we all need to remain vigilant.
The basic protocols remain the key to prevention: Wear a mask in public, keep 6 feet from other people and wash your hands frequently. If you feel sick, stay home. On Monday, Arwady gave a further admonition that should be taken seriously: Resist complacency. Don’t forget what’s at stake. Don’t invite outsiders into your home or apartment unless they must enter to do essential work. No Halloween parties, please.
Read the full article in The Chicago Tribune.
