I am an ER doctor in midcoast Maine. I’ve resisted feeding into the coronavirus frenzy, but as a frontline provider I fear for my community.

I fear that the Trump administration’s refusal to form a unified message in the face of this crisis will dangerously overburden our already-taxed emergency medical system and will lead to the unnecessary deaths of millions of Americans. This will not be over by Easter, despite President Trump’s dreams of reopening the economy on this arbitrary date. If we consider the experiences of all the other affected nations, the United States’ COVID-19 pandemic is only in its early infancy.

The message we should be hearing from our government is that each American is in a unique position to make a difference by staying at home. It’s simple: The virus cannot spread if we do not move. This is not about taking away our constitutional rights. It’s about coming together as a community to literally save lives and protect me and my colleagues from having to decide who should live and who should die.

The implications of not taking COVID-19 seriously goes far beyond the health of our most vulnerable – this pandemic will directly impact all of us. Maine has over 160 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Please stand by me and commit to sheltering in place now so that we can all get back to living in Vacationland.

Shaila DeLea

Camden

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