I want to acknowledge and thank the families, parents and caregivers who are working so hard to support remote learning for our students during this unprecedented emergency situation. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic reach across every aspect of our daily lives, and many families are struggling with lost jobs, lack of childcare, and access to even basic provisions. We know that many students have had to assume adult responsibilities -- like supervising younger siblings or taking a job to help support the family, and we know that many adults are arriving home in the evening, exhausted from essential jobs, to support children in different grade levels with remote school work. 

Now that everyone is being directed to practice social distancing and to stay at home, what does this mean for victim/survivors (adults and children) of domestic abuse? 

More than 50 million households, representing more than one-third of the nation, already have responded to the 2020 Census. The census happens once every 10 years, and your response affects allocation of congressional seats and federal funds to your community -- for things like schools, hospitals, roads, and emergency services.

But for rural Mainers whose communities still don’t have access to high-speed broadband, telecommuting, remote learning and telehealth aren’t easy options. These unserved communities have been at a disadvantage for years, but the consequences of this rural broadband gap are even more dire during this stay-at-home order. 

In any crisis, we triage the issues we are facing, and our reactions proceed in relatively predictable ways. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different.

There’s a certain clarity that develops in a crisis. Old rules -- that seemed so important to protecting the public order, to good business practices, to the rules of commerce -- all of a sudden get tossed out and we adapt to new ways of doing things for the times. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have changed the way we live our lives and conduct business.

We are lucky to live here in Maine. Time outdoors has not been canceled! Take a walk down your road. A late-season snowshoe might still be possible for some. Find a local land trust trail. It does not have to be a grand excursion. It can be as simple as a 10 minute sit-down on the back steps to listen to the birds or gaze at the moon.

For everyone’s safety, our employees are following the social distancing precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health officials. We are asking people to not approach our carriers to accept delivery. Let the carrier leave the mailbox before collecting the mail. With schools not in session, children should also be encouraged to not approach a postal vehicle or carrier.

Mention COVID-19 and conversations turn to concerns about financial solvency and medical care. I want to remind us of something: You and I are lucky enough to live in a country where government is, “of the people, by the people and for the people”. COVID-19 is a beautiful reminder and opportunity to uphold governing ourselves.

Ronald Sweet’s recent letter to the editor questioned why the U.S. death rate could rise to 100,000, blaming this tragedy on government “ineptitude, incompetence, and inaction.” Like Mr. Sweet, I pray we can do better than these numbers, but I disagree with his analysis. I urge him to remember that information from the Chinese government, a regime which denies the reality of Tiananmen Square, is unreliable.

As healthcare workers, we are doing what we have been trained to do -- what comes instinctively to the many who have heard a calling to care for their fellow human beings. COVID-19 has a lot of unknowns and is still evolving. Those in healthcare are navigating a delicate balance between being there for our families and answering our call of duty to care for our communities -- consciously separating ourselves from our loved ones, as our care of others puts those close to us at higher risk of exposure. While we know it is for the best, it’s a tough sacrifice.

I would like to thank U.S. Sen. Susan Collins for once again putting the people of Maine before politics to craft the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides relief for small employers and their valued staff.

At a University of Maine commencement years ago, a good friend, Al, received his Ph.D. and was “hooded” by my husband, his adviser. When Al’s name was called he made his way painfully across the stage on crutches, losing his mortarboard on the way. The entire audience let out a spontaneous “Oh.” Al received the loudest applause of the afternoon. 

I appreciated Bruce Poliquin's call for unity in his recent column. The times certainly demand it. The times also demand increased discernment. The coronavirus pandemic shines the light on our absolute connection as humans.

Just days ago, I and millions of others received “The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America.” Since Donald Trump likes to have his name on everything, apparently to maintain his self-importance, it seems only fitting to me that we now refer to this deadly flu as the "Trump Virus.”

Here’s a fun fact you might not know. Your “freedom of association” is not guaranteed specifically by name in the First Amendment. Don't believe me? Read it again.

State governments around the country have reacted differently to the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat it poses to people and to the economy. Many states -- Maine included -- took quick and decisive action to help stop the spread of the disease and to help people upended by job loss and financial instability caused by required physical distancing.

On Sunday (March 29), President Donald Trump said that if the United States can keep the death toll down to 100,000, "we all together have done a very good job." I pray we can do much better than that.