Statement from the Mayor: Governor’s “stay at home” order

From Mayor Broughton:

What is the governor asking us to do?

Everyone, tonight the governor’s “stay at home” order goes into effect. Now, everyone should read the order. There is a lot in it.

But I want to talk about what we are really being asked to do.

There are a lot of kinds of businesses that can stay open, if you read the order. But step back. Why did the governor make this order? What are we really being asked to do?

It’s about personal responsibility, folks. If we are going to beat coronavirus, we all need to step up and take responsibility for what we do.

We know, anyone can get this virus. Not everyone will get sick the same amount. But any one of us can get it, and that means any one of us can give it to someone else.

Maybe you won’t get that sick if you catch this virus.

But if you give it to your grandmother or to someone who is already sick with something else, it could go a lot worse for them. They could get really sick. They could even die.

The other thing is, if we let this thing get out of hand and spread too fast, that is what could give our hospitals, doctors, and healthcare workers trouble. If we keep on top of this, hopefully there will be enough beds and equipment. But not if we let it get out of hand.

What the governor is asking us to do is Stay Home As Much As We Can. Can you get groceries and go to the pharmacy? Yes, of course. But you should try to go as little as possible. See if you can get by on what you already have at home for a while. If you have to go shopping, try and stock up for a few weeks or a month so you don’t have to go again anytime soon.

Basically, imagine you already have this virus. What can you do to keep others from getting it?

Imagine others in our community already have this virus. What do you hope they will do to not spread it?

Because guaranteed, someone in Elkins either has it or will have it soon. Like it or not, we will be dealing with this virus here in our community at some point.

So please: Stay home as much as you can. Wash your hands. Keep six feet from other people. Don’t be near groups of other people. (CDC says 10 people, but that doesn’t mean 7 or 8 or 9 is magically safe.) The more we can all do now to minimize contact, maybe the shorter this whole situation will be.

That’s what this order is about. I would ask all of you, don’t be looking for excuses for how you don’t have to stay home. Think about taking responsibility, doing your part, for keeping this thing from spreading too fast.

We can all make a difference, and that’s what we’re being asked to do. That’s what I’m going to try to do. I hope you’ll try to make a difference with me.

God Bless Everyone,

-Van