Many of you may already know that besides growing herbs, I am also a nurse, with a public health background. Everyone has a different degree of access to reliable information. What I am passing along below is not in any official capacity, but please feel free to share as widely as you see appropriate.
I am still planning on having my medicinal plant sale ("sun willing and the creek don't rise") the last weekend of May, details TBD.
1. If you have any excess protective equipment, and are not an essential worker, please donate it now. This includes surgical and face masks, respirators, gowns, gloves, thermometers, hand sanitizer. Think outside the box: dentists, wood workers, machinists, people working with epoxy etc. In CT you can go to
https://na0.icarol.com/pub/SurveyForm.aspx?org=2385&key=21924bf7-31fd-44e7-8e4e-d2165d6428f2.
If you have just small amounts from your woodshop, pantry etc you can also reach out to any local health care worker directly to offer. I also want to give a shout-out to health care aides. They have intimate contact with people but often are not as respected as doctors and nurses for their essential roles.
2. Many people are still not taking the social distancing recommendations. Numerous reliable sources indicate the absolutely essential nature of this, I would say physical isolation of your household when ever possible. If you are not in a state with a lockdown or shelter in place order, please act as if you are and ask your public officials for this. If some states are not hit as hard, they can offer support to other states that are. If you absolutely must go out for groceries (not "ooo I need some more smoked paprika), please ask an elderly person or health care worker if you can pick up items for them as well. There is still no clear guidelines about transfer of the virus from objects, current info I am using is
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-survives-on-surfaces-how-to-protect-yourself/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=a387beec20-MR_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-a387beec20-152144350&fbclid=IwAR0otuRq89zrNepOdOE3r9Hnr3pzPnVP5B4UawtRgWeWOENUwlYaZq361UI
If you are able, some have advised the precaution to leave goods on a porch/cooler/garage for 24-48 hours or wash thoroughly when taking into the home.
3. Take notes. Seriously, the World Health Organization recommendation on pandemics includes keeping track of what went right and what went wrong to learn from after the event. If you have a good ideas of communities supporting each other, share it. After the death and loss and mourning and anger and reckoning, WE ALL MUST COME TOGETHER TO REBUILD IN SUSTAINABLE RESILIENT REGENERATIVE WAYS. As bad is this is, and for many people it will get worse, imagine how things would be if we had no water or internet or electricity or intact road systems. THAT is what is coming with climate change if we do not change our ways immediately.
4. Grow a Corona/Climate Change Victory Garden. I'm not actually worried about the break down of our food distributions systems in any large way. However, all our of communities will have a huge hunger needs due to unemployment. We need to be ready to offer healthy, life giving plants to those in need. If you are financially able and don't grow your own food, reach out to your local farm and join their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or otherwise ask how you can support them. Part of the rebuilding that will have to happen is expansion of local food networks. If you are new to growing go to facebook or websites for Bionutrient Food Association or Northeast Organic Farmers Association as a starting point.
5. Speak up against corporate bailouts and speak up for helping individuals in need. I know this might be a contentious one and on a case by case basis. But, yeah, I'm willing to say no money to the billion dollar profit cruise industry but yes to helping their laid-off employees.
6. Spend time in nature and with plants.
7. Share creative ideas how to support your community and neighbors and essential workers. This is by no means an extensive list, but a starting point from my perspective.
8. Excellent video from a NYC doc, very much worth watching in entirety. Dr. David Price of Weill Cornell Medical Center https://vimeo.com/399733860
9. Sewing masks for use in public for the general public, as prompt to not touch one's face in public :)
https://www.ynhhs.org/patient-care/covid-19/support-our-caregivers.aspx
10. Keep critically thinking. https://charleseisenstein.org/essays/the-coronation/
