Bang those pots and pans!! Support front-line workers

Video credit: Justin Pray

I think this self-isolation business is starting to get on my nerves.
It’s week eight already, we’ve cooked every single meal from scratch (oh, the memory of our wonderful coffee shops and restaurants) and cleaned, filed and sorted ad infinitum. And, of course, have read, written and gardened; that’s the silver lining.
We have gotten used to ordering groceries and buying what we need on-line.
We have become modern-age pioneers as we try to beat the dastardly COVID-19 bug.
But today, I saw the sun for awhile and the temperature was slowly inching towards sweater-less weather. If this were last summer, we would give in to the temptation to gather with our fellow human beings and head outside to concerts, art festivals and any other community event going. Crowds of people would be everywhere.
But wait a minute: the COVID-19 pandemic still holds the upper hand. COVID-19 cases and deaths world-wide continue to go up daily—although more slowly in some places. There are already plans in place to gradually reopen the economy. We don’t know exactly when, but it will happen.
I think we will soon turn the corner on the pandemic because of the partnership we Canadians have developed. Our half of the partnership entails staying home. And it looks like Stouffville is doing its part. There are cars parked in driveways all over town. The bottom line is that if fewer of us are exposed to the virus, the other half of our partnership—doctors, nurses and other front-line workers—will have fewer of us to look after.
The paramedic, funeral director assistant, personal support worker, essential municipal employee, grocery store clerk, former hospital employee, family doctor and TTC bus driver in our family and friend circles know first-hand what’s involved.
We grieve with the family doctor, who has seen patients taken by COVID-19 recently. Many of these people have become her friends over the years.
We wonder how difficult it will be for one young paramedic who is returning to work. Her little boy is one year old, just learning how to walk, and mommy can be exposed to the virus every day.
Even an hour of wearing all that cumbersome PPE can be exhausting, but doctors, nurses and others press on to care for their patients.
One young man whose job takes him to hospitals and nursing homes frequently is asked each time if he has been in contact with anyone with COVID-19. One memorable day when he again said, “Yes, every day!”, he was surprised as those near him left with great speed.
 Although most shoppers respect the rules in grocery stores by keeping their six-foot distance, there are still a few who come up close to the grocery store employee, tap him on the shoulder and ask that vital question, “where are the frozen peas?”
But most of us are overwhelmed by the sacrifices, sheer determination and courage of our front-line people.
Businesses and individuals will drop off food for hospital staff. One man plays Beatles music from his car to cheer everyone up while police, paramedics and firefighters have formed parades around hospitals, displaying morale-bolstering signs.
In front of Stouffville’s Northern Gate community, residents have put up a big Thank You sign with Canadian flags. The residents have stood at the ends of their driveways, banging pots and pans, singing O Canada, and listening to a neighbour play the trumpet. In Unionville, many homes have blue hearts, some with “Thank you” painted on them in their front yards. In the tiny community of Burnt River, the hearts are bright red. Every week the number of hearts keeps growing, while Snoopy hugs Woodstock on signs around Musselman’s Lake and in town.
In downtown Toronto, people are banging pots and pans from the upper floors of their condo buildings and at 7:30 each night, you’ll hear the clanging on a street near the Danforth.
But this is not the time to be fooled, even though COVID-19 numbers are growing more slowly. We have to keep on keeping on, following the same old saw, Stay home, wash your hands, cough into your elbow and stay six feet away from anybody outside of your house.
We don’t want to undo all our hard work!