Personal Decisions, Grace and Compassion

A message from Who Staffing’s Founder/President, Gary Ditto:

If you’re anything like me, you have been spending an inordinate amount of time reading articles, catching news reports and press conferences or watching video of protests regarding how and when we should be re-opening the country for business.

People are either stressed and anxious about business resumption or angry about the continuation of enforced regulations. Folks are feeling the need to choose one side or the other, and then fight for those opposed to their stance.

Below is a different perspective that I saw on social media and it resonated with me for its grace and compassion. I’m not sure whose original opinion this is but I am hoping more of us can find some inspiration in it and treat others with empathy as we look to recover.

Lastly, please consider that while we all may be in the same storm - we are not in the same boat.

Be well-

Gary

“I think a lot of folks have fallen into the idea that social distancing was meant to stop the viral spread. It wasn’t…it was meant to SLOW it while we put medical infrastructure in place. It has worked. We have, in most parts of the country, not been overwhelmed like we likely would have been without protective measures. In the meantime, our testing procedures have gotten better. We’ve increased our ventilator count. We’ve gotten a little better handle on PPE supply chains, and many have helped by making masks and gowns. Hospitals are adding ICU capacity and cities have field hospitals ready to go. It’s not perfect, but it’s much better than it was seven weeks ago.

A vaccine is a long way off. At some point, people have to be systematically exposed to begin the building of (hopeful) herd immunity. We will likely begin to experience an increase in cases after reopening. Ideally, that exposure is controlled and calculated, in phases, to allow our medical community to respond adequately, and reduce the number of severe or fatal cases. That’s where we are.

Whether you feel like the country is opening too soon, or not soon enough, we were never going to “social distance” this thing into nonexistence. You now need to proceed as your health, wallet, and conscience allow.

If you are medically vulnerable, you do not need to be a part of what is about to happen. Stay home if you can. If you’re not, or if your financial vulnerability trumps your health concerns, you need to proceed in ways that continue to protect yourself, and the elderly and medically vulnerable around you.

We all need to proceed in a manner best suited for our individual situations. Quit telling people who are financially struggling that they don’t care about human lives. Quit telling people who are truly at risk that they’re cowering in fear. Let the healthy who need to go back to work do so, and let the vulnerable stay safe.

We can make different choices, based on our own personal situation, and still be a supportive community."