I know that every single person reading this has already been affected by the coronavirus, whether you’ve been dodging the toilet paper brawls at Costco or are homeschooling your kids for the first time.
The first two coronavirus patients were diagnosed in Bolivia on Wednesday, and already life has been turned upside-down.
The day after they were diagnosed, the president cancelled all schools until March 31, all sporting matches, any gatherings of over 1000 people, cancelled all flights to and from Europe, and outlawed price-gouging of medical supplies.
SutiSana met to decide if we would continue activities in the midst of the pandemic and panic. Since SutiSana provides an important economic life-raft in an almost certain recession, we decided that for the moment will douse everything in bleach and hand sanitizer and cautiously soldier on.
Since pharmacies were already sold out of face masks, SutiSana began producing them within hours. We sold out over the weekend but will continue to produce them on Monday to bridge the gap.
Most of this is still preventative. There are not yet any diagnosed cases in La Paz or El Alto, where we live and work. And even when there are, we do not want to succumb with panic and fear. After all, abundant life is not dominated by fear, but by love, community, and mutual support, no matter what happens in the next few weeks.
By: Cara Strauss, SutiSana Co-founder and Coordinator