My thanks to parents and students for the way you have worked with the College this week to ensure that we are all safe and complying with the restrictions currently in place.
As we spent our ANZAC Day long weekend in lockdown, I am sure many of you, like me, were wondering what the week ahead would bring. Even this week, a part of me has waited each day, half expecting to hear news of more cases and wondering how our school learning would be impacted if that happened.
As we negotiate the impact of the virus and the uncertainty it brings, it is comforting to know that we can safely trust in God as we are reminded in 1 Peter “Casting all your anxieties on him, because He cares for you”.
I came across an article on the weekend and thought I would summarise it here because it helps us to understand the best ways to care for ourselves and those we love while we try to live as normally as possible.
No single layer of defence is perfect but the more layers between you and the virus, the less chance viral particles have at getting into your body.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Physical distance from others who are not in your bubble.
- Wearing a mask.
- Hand washing.
- Cough and sneeze etiquette.
- Not touching your face.
- Scanning/checking in using the venue QR codes.
- Limiting time in crowded situations.
SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES
- Fast and sensitive testing and tracing.
- Good ventilation for outdoor interactions.
- Effective indoor ventilation and air filtration.
- Clear messaging from experts.
- Quarantine and isolation for infected people, and those exposed to them.
- Vaccines.
The more layers, the better. Pretty soon you’ve created an impenetrable barrier, and you really can quench the transmission of the virus. But it requires all of those things, not just one of those things.
“People who are uncertain about an intervention can be swayed by a confident-sounding voice proclaiming that a particular layer is ineffective,” says Ian Mackay, a virologist at the University of Queensland in Australia. “When we listen to the loud non-experts who have no experience in protecting our health and safety, we are inviting them to have an impact on our lives. That’s not a risk we should take.” He urges us to heed the advice of public health officials and scientists.
Acknowledgement: “Beating the Pandemic with a Swiss Cheese Defense” by Siobhan Roberts in The New York Times, December 8, 2020