On Tuesday, March 24, El Paso Mayor Dee Margo issued a “Stay Home, Work Safe” order that has strongly advised the larger population of our city to self-quarantine at home.

A PDF of this order can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DBkR6mIARKZ51T0PX9k9SZJlxfHHgqU5/view.

According to The New York Times, almost 300 million Americans across at least 38 states have been ordered to stay at home —  so El Paso is definitely not the first city to order its citizens to do so.

Measures such as these may seem drastic, but they are necessary to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community.

According to KVIA, as of April 25, El Paso now has 780 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in our community and 12 reported deaths.

As part of the stay-at-home order, some activities, locations, or forms of labor are listed as essential and thus leaving the home for them is still permitted.

These are activities, locations, or forms of labor such as, but limited to, the following:

• Postal services
• Grocery, liquor stores
• Food delivery or pick-up
• News media organizations
• Hospitals, healthcare services
• Moving companies
• Animal shelters
• Banks, credit unions

If you are unsure if an activity, location, or form of labor is permitted by the new stay-at-home order, check the PDF listed earlier in this article.

These restrictions apply to all people living within the county of El Paso.

Violating the stay-at-home order will result in either 180 days in jail or a fine of up to $1000, according to the El Paso Times.

El Pasoans are allowed to go outside in order to (for example) walk around their neighborhood, though six feet of distance from others should still be maintained.

However, as of April 1, gathering in recreational areas such as pools, parks, or hiking trails is prohibited, and any gatherings of any sort should be limited to the immediate family.

For those looking to cross the border between the United States and Mexico, as of April 1, movement across the border has been limited to essential travel, such as medical care, official government travel, or military purposes.

The full list of what classifies as “essential travel” can be found at this link from the Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/03/24/2020-06253/notification-of-temporary-travel-restrictions-applicable-to-land-ports-of-entry-and-ferries-service.

The essential travel restrictions and stay-at-home order will be in place until May 17, or until the city’s health officials are confident that the virus has been suppressed within our county.

In the meantime, do not lose heart, and do not lose contact with those outside of your immediate family.

Loretto senior Meghan Brittain said, “After finding out that our spring break would be extended indefinitely, I decided that I was going to view this situation positively.

“It was difficult at first transitioning to online school and finding a new routine, but I love that I get to see my classmates every day and have some type of normalcy.

“As a senior I find it very difficult knowing that many of the events that I have looked forward to since my first day at Loretto have been cancelled.

“However, I’m really thankful that the senior class is so motivating and uplifting in such a confusing time; overall, though it’s been difficult, I’m glad that I still have a way to be connected to my Loretto family during these times.”

Our era of mass online communication means that living in self-quarantine doesn’t mean living in self-isolation — so remember to keep in touch with friends through text, phone calls, or even video conferencing.

A worldwide pandemic such as this is completely unprecedented in recent history, and for many Americans, it has uprooted our way of living in a way that has left many feeling lost.

Feeling sad or distraught during this difficult time is normal; maintaining distance from everyone, both strangers and friends, and being separated from the sights and joys of what everyday life used to be like is an awful experience — one that no one was prepared for and perhaps one that many of us won’t be able to heal from until it’s finally over.

However, it’s important to never give into despair and to maintain hope that the future will be brighter, if not exactly how it used to be.

This future will only be attainable if we make these sacrifices of staying at home to stem the tide of infection.

If you have a question about the coronavirus, you can call El Paso’s Public Health Department at this number: 915-212-6843.

In this crisis of both economic and health dimensions, remember that El Paso is strong and that we will persevere through this — even if we are not united physically, we are united in our spirit.