By Abha Thakkar
Northside Planning Council
As of this issue’s press time, Public Health of Madison and Dane County had issued emergency order #10, prohibiting indoor gatherings of any size, in effect until Dec. 16. As this Covid-19 pandemic year comes to a close with more than a quarter of a million Americans dead, we are all faced with some hard decisions about how we balance our family and mental health needs with the safety of our community and the frontline workers who put their health at risk on our behalf. The most sobering statistics we currently face not only entail hospital wards filled to capacity but an impending shortage of healthcare workers to care for those who become seriously ill. Two pharmaceutical researchers, Pfizer and Moderna, recently released promising news on vaccine development, but what can we do as a community to encourage each other to make the best possible choices through this challenging waiting period?
The Northside Partners group, made up of nonprofit and grassroots organizations and city and county agencies that serve the Northside, have been meeting with Public Health, Madison School & Community Recreation and our local community schools to develop a number of initiatives to support safe and healthy decision-making. No one wants to see a single Northsider suffer unnecessarily from this illness.
The most important thing we can do is to wear a mask. The U.S. Center for Disease Control recently shared new evidence that mask-wearing not only keeps the people around us safe, it also decreases our own risk of catching Covid-19. Keep an eye out for “Northside Matters” masks translated into five languages: Spanish, French, Arabic, Hmong and English. Please mask up!
In addition, the group is working with Northside art teachers to host a contest for students to submit designs that promote Covid safety. The winning posters will be printed as banners and displayed at highly visible locations around the Northside. The group is also recruiting familiar neighborhood leaders to capture video testimony that can be shared on social media about the impacts of Covid on our community.
Evidence shows that this virus is highly virulent indoors, especially during winter months when we’re dependent on dry, recirculated air. Social distancing and being outdoors in small groups of less than ten people with friends and family is a terrific way to have fun and overcome isolation while still limiting the spread of the virus.
Wisconsin Active Together Network and 1000 Friends of Wisconsin recently released the Winter “Play” Book with ideas to support active living through this pandemic winter. The guide includes suggestions on how to make each activity Covid-safe, as well.
For example, neighborhoods can organize outdoor light shows and encourage walking and biking (and kids pulled in sleds!) to help promote exercise while enjoying the fun. In this case, a one-way walking path and signs to encourage mask-wearing will help keep everyone safe.
Neighbors can host a small patio or driveway gathering with a campfire and heaters and blankets to help keep guests warm. Be sure to set up pods of chairs so that households can maintain a safe distance from one another while still being close to the warmth.
What about those mountains of plowed snow that pile up on curbsides and parking lots? Organize a snow sculpture competition or build a small village of snow forts for separate households to enjoy, again reminding participants to social distance and wear masks to keep each other safe.
A neighborhood scavenger hunt can provide walkers with an entertaining diversion. Have neighbors place specific objects in their windows or out in their yards and create a hashtag to post findings on social media.
Winter gear swaps and outdoor sports mentoring sessions will help make winter more accessible and less isolating for neighbors who don’t normally venture outside. Consider organizing one on your street!
Additional ideas can be found in the Winter “Play” Book by visiting www.1kfriends.org/covid-winter-an-active-living-play-book-for-wisconsin/