So Virginia has decided to open on May 15th. Northern Virginia gets an exception because they felt now was not the right time to reopen. Additionally, Richmond and Accomack applied for delays that were granted. Tons of Virginians felt the same way and are speaking out, staying closed, and staying home. It’s reassuring to see that some people don’t want to put their fellow Virginians in danger, but on the other side is our governor-doctor Ralph Northam. Despite being the only governor who is also a doctor in the country, Northam has decided to go against his colleagues and reopen the state.
His decision to reopen gave me pause (right before that pause turned to anger). Scientists and medical experts are shouting that we need more tests, more PPE, and more time at home to combat COVID-19. I wondered why he wasn’t listening to them. Then I wondered, if the governor isn’t listening to the real doctors, would the message sink in if it were coming from a doctor on TV?
So my favorite medical shows are Grey’s Anatomy and House––two very different shows. In Grey’s, it’s all about the very attractive doctors and the crazy medical procedures. There is one doctor on the show that I think could effectively cut through the noise and tell Americans what they need to hear––Dr. Miranda Bailey.
If Dr. Bailey was addressing the country, she would give us the cold hard facts, with the warm compassion that is usually reserved for family members. Tough as nails, but a port in a storm, which COVID-19 certainty is. One famous quote of hers comes to mind when thinking about Virginia’s response to coronavirus
“I’m going to stop listening to you because the words you are saying are hurting me.”
Honestly Dr. Bailey, same. The words that the Northam administration say have the potential to hurt hundreds of Virginia residents and we aren’t going to listen to them. We’ll stay home. It’s a brave, but hard thing to keep ourselves quarantined because as Dr. Bailey would say, “I’m busy holding myself together with tape and glue.” But, it’s still the right thing to do, no matter how hard it is to keep doing.
For my next favorite medical drama, the only TV doctor I’d want to hear from during coronavirus is Dr. Gregory House from the eponymous series House.
If Dr. House was addressing the country, he would have little patience for those who choose to ignore commonsense. “Everybody lies” is the theme of the show and he would see straight through all the lies swirling around in this pandemic. Dr. House is known for being determined and persistent. One famous quote of his comes to mind when thinking about Virginia’s response to coronavirus:
“There are three choices in this life: be good, get good, or give up.”
Dr. House would favor the Northam administration’s early response to the pandemic. He would tell officials to stay the course of our earlier directives to stay home, social distance, and close businesses. Known for his penchant to buck authority, Dr. House would likely circumvent officials to take the microphone at the press conference and tell everyone to stay home. What a funny sight that would be!
As his quote says above, we have three choices in this mess. To be good, which frankly we are not. To get good, which we were doing but seem to be backsliding now. And lastly to give up, which we will never!
Now is your chance to tell us why you are ignoring the reopening of Virginia and staying home. Click this link and send us your response. We’d love to hear from you.