Page 11 - ActsCOVID-19_and_Me

observing the care it exercised to safeguard the health of those who provided or used their services pushed me further along the continuum toward awareness. This was a major step for me.
It could be said that awareness comes in baby steps. When it came to understanding COVID-19, I was like an apprehensive toddler who became more guarded in my choices of where
to travel and with whom to interact. Because of this growing awareness, I delayed a business trip to Annapolis until the end of the week. Since I live in Bayleigh Chase I understood that I not only needed to protect myself but that I also needed to assume the responsibility for acting in a way that protects everyone in the community.
I soon found that my actions were going to be controlled in another way. In early March, Bayleigh Chase assumed the role
of protective guardian and shared guidelines and safeguards to support its residents in remaining healthy during the pandemic. And on a Thursday evening in mid-March, the community not only mandated social distancing and the wearing of protective masks,
it also restricted residents to campus to deter community spread. Sheltering-in-place began immediately.
I was frustrated and fumed, “What about a heads-up or a few days’ notice?”
The trip to Annapolis was, of course, postponed even further. And as I pouted, I saw myself as a fussy baby who had been put in a playpen for safekeeping. Although it was off-putting to be treated like a child, I learned awareness of information and trends is critical to the wellbeing of not only one individual or household but to an entire community or state or nation. This principle would become even more apparent in the months that followed.
Sheltering-in-Place
Sheltering-in-place, lockdown, locked-in, or quarantine—these terms describe a condition that controls or limits movement in the larger world. Though similar in meaning, each has a different literal meaning along with an array of emotional associations.
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