Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Yesterday's health update from the state Department of Public Health contained news I wish I did not have to report: Bethel's COVID-19 case load is beginning to rise. While still not near the level to threaten business closures, this is not where we want to be. As a caring community, we need to step up our efforts to keep the virus in check. Since last week's reporting period, Bethel's daily case rate climbed to 6.9 new cases per 100,000 residents, up from 4.9 the week before.
You can view the interactive state map and tracking data by clicking here.
PLEASE, remember to continue to follow the basics:
- Wear you mask AT ALL TIMES WHEN INDOORS.
- Keep your distance when around others, AT LEAST 6-FEET APART.
- Wash your hands THOROUGHLY AND OFTEN.
This includes when you are around friends you trust, and sometimes even your own family members. Virtually anyone you come in contact with, unless they have been quarantined for the proper amount of time, has the potential to have contracted the virus unknowingly, and can spread it to you unknowingly.
Now I am going to add a fourth reminder, one that has always been in place since this pandemic began but may have been overlooked:
If you start to feel sick, stay home, call your health care provider.
The days of "toughing out" a cold or "sweating it out" at the gym need to be a thing of the past. One of the reasons for the increase we are seeing today is from people who thought they were experiencing nothing more than a cold or a seasonal allergy and continued about their daily business. It turned out to be COVID-19, allowing the virus to gain a foothold in their family and start to spread.
Please be aware of the symptoms of COVID-19, which you can see by clicking here.
You can learn how to care for someone with COVID by clicking here.
Thank you for reading, everyone. Please share this information with your family and friends, and let's all STAY SAFE this weekend.