CLEVELAND — We’ve learned how to social distance in the park, at grocery stores and many other places that are still open but lots of people are growing tired of it.
"I certainly appreciate people are getting antsy and they want to get out,” said Cleveland Clinic infectious disease doctor Kristin Englund.
As Ohio begins its re-pening process and folks slowly get back to work, Englund says now is not time to stop social distancing.
"Unless we’re smart about the way we do it, we’re going to find ourselves back in the position of quarantining again,” she said.
Englund says employees and employers must both do their part.
"The businesses themselves as much as they want to let as many people in the door to make the money that they need and that they’ve been losing, will need to make sure that they’re doing it in a way so that people can remain safe and maintain a six foot distance from each other,” she said.
Englund says if all goes well, Ohioans will get through this.
"I think if we all make the effort to social distance, to maintain a cloth mask, really just trying to keep ourselves and everyone around us safe, we can absolutely see this curve remaining flat and starting to trend down,” said Englund.
But if social distancing fatigue sets in and we just stop doing it all together, Englund says that's a world we don’t want to live in.
"Here in the hospital, we’re going to have to brace ourselves for the reality that our hospital will fill up very quickly, and we’re going to be in a situation where all of our hospital room and our intensive care units are filled just like the pictures we see coming out of New York or other countries like Italy,” said Englund.
She says this does not have to happen if we all keep social distancing around our communities and in the workplace and wear masks.
"Please wear them, and please wear them appropriately over your mouth and your nose,” she said.
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