Why Self-Quarantine??

My husband and I decided to self-quarantine our family today. All that means is that we will be limiting our outings (and invitations) to the essential for the next couple of weeks. We have enough groceries and other supplies to make it for longer than that. We feel confident that we can accomplish this quarantine without major hardship.

But, WOW! The reactions we've gotten! They have ranged from "Good job, Mama, for protecting your babies!" to "You're crazy! You're buying into the media hype!" and "It's all in God's hands, so you should just keep doing your normal."

So, here I am to explain why we decided to self-quarantine... and why you should self-quarantine too!

Thing Number One: We are NOT doing this to protect our own family. We are doing this because the data from other countries facing this pandemic show clearly (one article here) that unless the vast majority of citizens in a country/area self-quarantine and distance themselves socially, the health systems in the United States will be overwhelmed. In just our own community of 3500ish, approximately 2200 people will probably get sick with COVID-19. That's according to the WHO's estimate that 70% of a population will contract the virus. Of those 70%, 8 out of 10 will have mild symptoms that require no medical care. WHO estimates that 20% of those with the illness will need hospitalization, but even if you estimate low and say 10%, that's 220 people from our small community who will need to be in the hospital! We don't even have a hospital! (This article explains the math at the national level.)

Thing Number Two: Media hype has nothing to do with our decision. We don't even have TV service! Both of us have been reading articles from many sources to understand the pandemic. We have become convinced that this is a necessary step to support the broader work of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the state of New Mexico, and the CDC of the United States. All three have urged limited contact with others, avoidance of large gatherings, and even cancellation of small gatherings. We agree that these steps are helpful in slowing the progress of the disease through our society. If we (as a society) can slow the progress, the health care system will have fewer cases at a time, which will allow availability of medical resources for more people in the long run.

Thing Number Three: YES, God is in control of it all! We are not doubting the sovereignty of God, the power of God, or the provision of God. This post from The Gospel Coalition says all the things I would say in a blog post telling us all not to worry because God is in control.

So, here's our thinking:

This is a virus none of us has any immunity to. Every one of the 300 million people in the United States of America is vulnerable to it. If Italy is what the epidemic looks like without social distancing, then we don't want to go there. Health care workers will be vulnerable to the virus, as well. Health care resources are insufficient to meet the demands of even 10% of the ill, let alone the 20% predicted by WHO. The goal of avoiding the deluge of patients is the main consideration in our decision. We realize that if we are the only ones self-quarantining, it will be ineffective. This is part of why our timing is as it is.

Today, the Jicarilla Apache Nation (on whose homeland we live and work) urged all its citizens to avoid unnecessary gatherings and canceled all out-of-state travel for official purposes. The state of New Mexico has likewise limited employees' travel and in-office work as well as canceling or postponing several large gatherings (i.e. The Gathering of Nations). These efforts will only be effective if enough of the citizens join in! We decided to join the efforts immediately to increase their potential efficacy.

God gave humans the ability to think and to plan. He gave us a heart to care about others, not just ourselves or our immediate family. We are not making this decision out of fear for ourselves or our children. We love those nameless physicians who are making horrific decisions about which patients receive life-saving care in Italy. We don't want that to happen to the doctors and nurses we know and love here in the USA (or those we don't know here!).

If we are wrong (and we pray we are!), we will rejoin the regular flow of society in a couple of weeks, and we will thank God for sparing us all. If we are right and many join us, we will all get back to normal in a while, and we will pray for those affected in so many different ways. If we are right, and few join in social distancing, we will pray for the ill and those caring for them.

Please consider joining us in disrupting the spread of the coronavirus. It seems a small price to pay to protect the health systems of our nation and its people.