April 30, 2020

Connecticut is on the verge of making a critical decision regarding the fight against the COVID-19 health emergency. Prior to May 20, the governor will need to make a decision about whether to extend the stay-at-home order or open state businesses and schools. Our leaders must continue to listen to the advice of top health experts and not succumb to pressure to reopen public schools and businesses prematurely.

I am writing in response to the numerous articles and television news stories covering the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on skilled nursing facilities throughout the state. It is heartbreaking to read the villainization of the facilities that are fighting on the front lines in this pandemic.  We see the health dare heroes of the hospitals, the delivery serviceman, store employees and dentists.  And yet, the front line workers of skilled nursing facilities are torn to shreds by the media, some from the community and the government. 

Nearly every weekend since we began this grinding coronavirus lockdown, my family has fled to the outdoors for much-needed stress relief. We find escape and joy in the wild places of the Farmington River watershed, hiking wooded paths strewn with mossy boulders to discover charming coldwater brooks and magnificent views. This is nature as pandemic defense, keeping us sane and healthy. It offers up a temporary coronavirus refuge.

With the onset of the coronavirus,to say life has changed dramatically is an understatement. In our small communities, we all know someone who has been exposed to the virus or has contracted the illness, some mildly and others life-threatening. How we live, work, think, behave and even breathe is now radically different. We are living in a new time –one we were not prepared for or even equipped to adequately handle. To watch the news and see how this virus is spreading worldwide, and even more so in our own backyard, is beyond belief.