Dear Neighbors,
In the last few days, the entire city has had a tremendous amount of congestion at the lakefront and in our parks.
Because of the danger that so much congestion poses to the population, the entire lakefront is being closed to the public, including the entire trail, and all the adjoining parks, including Lincoln Park.
For the next two weeks, we must stay inside as much as possible. As Public Health Commissioner Arwady said yesterday,
“If you do not need to be out, I need you to stay home.”
This includes:
1) You should exercise close to home or change your form of exercise to do most of it inside. The City is closing the lakefront - but we have seen too much congestion at every park, including Oz. When you go out to walk the dog stay close to home.
2) Get off the playgrounds and keep kids at home. It feels like vacation, but it's not. It's a global health crisis. Just google "Playgrounds Closed Due to COVID-19" and you will see. Playgrounds are closed around the
world -
from Arlington, VA to New Orleans, to Edmonton, Canada to New Zealand.
Playgrounds are not clean nor can they be sanitized. The virus can last for up to several days on surfaces, and if one child picks it up and passes it along, even if the child shows no symptoms, it can spread disease to others.
Remember, if
someone gets COVID-19, that person has to be completely quarantined. Read this
article
about an Old Town Triangle family. And read
this story
about a wife and teenage daughter's taking care of a very sick dad.
According to the
New York Times today,
"While some people are practicing 'social monogamy' — socializing with only one set of trusted friends — public health experts are now discouraging even that much contact. '
Even if you choose only one friend to have over, you are creating new links and possibilities for the type of transmission
that all of our school/work/public event closures are trying to prevent,' said Dr. Asaf Bitton, the executive director of Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital. 'The symptoms of coronavirus take four to five days to manifest themselves. Someone who comes over looking well can transmit the virus.'"
Children playing with their friends is dangerous to others.
So please, stay home. Socialize on Facebook or other social media, organize a block singing exercise or have the kids video chat.
Right now is the moment when we can either have thousands at risk or avoid it. Right now we have to be apart - for everyone's sake.
Mayor Lightfoot will be holding a press conference today at 1 p.m. You can watch it on her
Facebook
page.
