By Flora Lucero, Chair
Just one month ago, on February 15, we held our ward meetings to elect delegates to the state convention and the following week we held our county convention. In the days after the County pre-primary processes, we began looking ahead toward the next milestone. Little did we know the magnitude of change that would challenge us in the coming days.
Over the last two weeks, COVID-19, the novel (new) coronavirus, upended life as we know it. Communities, states, and nations around the globe are mobilizing to fight this common enemy and to provide help during this unparalleled time. We are seeing the worst of nature in the form of a highly contagious deadly disease and we are seeing the best of humanity as people practice many and various acts of kindness. I am amazed by what I’m witnessing but I am also struggling against being overwhelmed.
The extreme and necessary changes made to contain COVID-19 are some of the most severe strategies used during my lifetime. The consequences of the measures taken to fight this disease are far reaching. Yet, I wouldn’t want to trade wisdom and caution based on science for negligence and ignorance. The consequence of being careless at this time would be too high a price to pay.
I am grateful for courageous leaders like Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham who have taken strategic steps to contain COVID-19. Keeping healthy people healthy and keeping our healthcare system functioning optimally for those who need it requires our cooperation. We know how this deadly disease is spread. And we know that those who get infected overwhelm healthcare systems. We can learn from the mistakes of other nations that are two critical weeks ahead of us in dealing with this pandemic. If we all do our part, we can minimize the impact on our community.
Wishing you peace, health, and wellness,
Flora