Making Tracks

By Kat Bryant

I haven’t set foot in the Daily World office since March 16, when I was directed to work from home because of the pandemic. In the eight weeks since then, my hours (and those of my colleagues) have been cut to 24 per week because our newspaper, like most other businesses, is suffering the economic effects of People Staying Home.

Just to be clear: I’m not saying People Staying Home is the actual source of our woes. The virus is. And until scientists come up with a vaccine for COVID-19, the vast majority of experts worldwide tell us the best way to slow it down is — you guessed it — People Staying Home.

As a journalist, I am classified as an “essential worker.” I even have a printed credential that allegedly exempts me from enforcement of the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. Still, I choose to count myself among the People Staying Home — not because I want to, but because it’s the right thing to do. Because I don’t want to contribute in any way to the spread of this virus. Because those essential workers who cannot stay home will be forced to suffer the consequences of those who refuse to.

I spoke May 4 with Melanie Brandt, chief nursing officer of Grays Harbor Community Hospital. She supervises 155 Registered Nurses and 31 Certified Nursing Assistants, all of whom have been continually adapting their procedures for the past three months to protect all of their patients from thisvirus. (In case you missed it, I wrote a story about that for Saturday’s special section on nursing.)

Among other things, Brandt told me she appreciated the precautions most local folks are taking to keep the virus from spreading, thus easing the pressure on hospital resources. “People have been doing the ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ thing very well,” she said.

Our local numbers remain low, even after testing became (slightly) more readily available here. At this writing, only two new cases have been recorded in Grays Harbor County in the past month, and we’ve had no deaths related to the virus to date.

Some people are saying that’s because COVID-19 is no big deal, or even a hoax. But I choose to believe the medical and scientific experts who say the incidence of People Staying Home is a large factor in regional numbers — as it is meant to be.

Sure, I miss taking my dogs to the beach and visiting my brothers. And yes, I’d love to hang out with my friends. And go to the movies. And enjoy meals inside my favorite restaurants. And go hiking in the nice weather without worrying about seeing other people on the trail.

But I’m also grateful.

Grateful that I’m not alone at home. That I can do my work effectively from my desk here. That I have the means to hole up for some time despite my reduced hours, thanks to some supplemental freelance work and the unemployment system. That I can still support my local eateries by ordering takeout at least as often as I used to eat out. That I have the technology to stay in contact with those who matter to me. And that those people are still virus-free.

I also understand that not everyone has all of those luxuries, and that many businesses — including the one I work for — are being hit hard by all this. But given a choice between the economy and public health, I believe safeguarding people’s health represents the greater good. When this is all over, we can rebuild what we’ve lost, but we can’t bring back those who died.

Doesn’t Aberdeen like to say, “Rising from the ashes is what we do”? Indeed, it’s what we do as humans on a regular basis.

So, until I see solid factual evidence that it’s truly safe out there again — not just for me and mine, but for the most vulnerable among us — I will do my part and remain among the People Staying Home.

Kat Bryant is lifestyle editor of The Daily World and editor of Washington Coast Magazine. Her five fuzzy office assistants fully endorse this message. Reach her at kbryant@thedailyworld.com or on Facebook at Kat Bryant-DailyWorld.