The phrase “long dark winter” keeps cropping up lately, referring to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and abroad, even more ominous because winter hasn’t even technically arrived. The way the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads, an uptick in cases now portends continued significant growth unless we are able to get widespread compliance with the so called “non-pharmaceutical interventions.” As a refresher, these include the basics:
Cover your face when you leave home
Limit gatherings and avoid crowds
Maintain at least a 6-foot distance from people outside your household
Wash your hands regularly, and don’t touch your face
Isolate yourself if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or otherwise believe you have been exposed
These things work best if everyone cooperates. Absent this, the next tool in the public health toolbox is to shut down parts of our society that are known to contribute to COVID-19 cases, including indoor locations where people tend to come into close contact with one another.
Of course, fatigue with all the rules and shutdowns is probably a main reason we don’t see full compliance with health precautions. So, here we are in a Catch-22.
Non-pharmaceutical interventions are not unique to COVID. They have long been an accepted strategy for containing contagious diseases. You can read some of the details, including research, on the CDC’s website. These measures have the power to decrease spread and get us opened back up.
Purple rules
As a reminder, here is what our new purple designation means:
Restaurants may only operate outdoors
Places of worship may only operate outdoors
Indoor gyms must close
Indoor museums must close
Maximum occupancy of indoor retail falls from 50% to 25%
