3 ways ‘To Do Unto Others…’ Part 1
Lately in our Beyond Medicine series and on Mornings with Marilyn, we’ve been talking about the precautions needed to contain the second surge of COVID-19 cases in many countries, including Fiji. The preventive measures that we need to take as community members include how to keep safe and help others keep safe are issues that we are not addressing very well. The virus is definitely succeeding in its quest to spread compared to our efforts to contain it.
Our observations reveal a lack of mindfulness in not wearing masks correctly, not practicing social distancing and forgetting to sanitize items touched by other people. This second wave, especially the B1617 variant of COVID-19, is getting the better of us and proving to be a great challenge.
So, the question is, are we doing enough? Or do we think it’s not our responsibility, or think that some unknown force will save us. The Golden Rule from the Bible ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ is very much relevant in this situation. By being stubborn, mindless or hiding behind religion is not going to help us to contain this virus. We are risking our own lives in addition to those of our loved ones and people with chronic diseases and impaired immune systems.
However, there are 3 ways to definitely help reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19:
- Wearing our masks correctly, meaning the mask should cover our noses and mouths, whenever we leave our homes and are out and about. Trying not to touch our masks or our faces when in public.
- Keeping a physical distance of at least 2 meters from people in public places such as any social gathering like funerals or weddings; supermarket or grocery stores, farmers or produce market, pharmacies, and anywhere else we venture.
- Sanitizing our hands and any items brought from outside into our homes using an alcohol-based sanitizer. Sanitizers help kill bacteria as well as arresting the spread of viruses, which may stay alive on items and surfaces for a short period of time.
By following these 3 preventive procedures we are not only protecting ourselves but also helping other people to be safe. We would like other people to be mindful of our loved ones who may have a pre-existing chronic condition such as diabetes, heart disease or cancer. We already know that thousands of people in our countries have these chronic conditions and are at a higher risk of getting seriously sick if they contract COVID-19.
As you would like other people to be mindful of the risk to your loved ones, hence you also need to be mindful of the risk you maybe posing to others, if you are not practicing the safety protocols mentioned above.
COVID-19 does not discriminate. It affects everyone who comes into contact with it. To beat this pandemic, we need to act as one to prevent the attack. This is a lesson we learn from Nature and we will share examples of that with you in Part 2 next week.
So, ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. Share with us what you think of this message and how you are practicing being safe.
