A Message from State Sen. John Eklund
"There is no reason to think that this, too, shall pass, and we as a people will emerge stronger." – John Eklund
State Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, issued the following statement in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic:
“Fellow Ohioans:
“Our state and nation face a real test these days. It is not, to me, the test of having a virus among us that may sicken many of us and kill some of us. Frankly, we exist in a world where that is an everyday reality, whether it be the flu, cancer or some other medical ailment.
“Rather, it is a test, or a series of tests, of who and what we are as a society. To what extent shall we sacrifice (or allow the government to sacrifice) our individual freedoms for the greater good, in the hopes that all soon will be allowed to enjoy the freedoms for which our society stands? Who defines that greater good? And how transparent will that government be as the answers to those questions evolve?
“If restricting our lives is the right thing to do at this time (and I believe it is), shall we do it cheerfully out of a sense of civic duty, or grudgingly with a sense of bitterness? I choose the former.
“Shall we sit and wait for our government to tell us what to do and not do, or shall we assume responsibility for ourselves, our families and our communities? I choose the latter.
“I have heard from many people expressing a measure of anxiety over the pandemic.
“I fully understand it, and that nothing I say or do can eliminate it. But, remember, our country was hit hard by Spanish Influenza of 1918, a strand of Avian Flu caused by the H1N1 virus, which infected nearly one-third of the world population and left 675,000 dead in the United States alone. Our forefathers weathered that storm and emerged stronger and united.
“More recently, in 2009-2010, the United States (in the throes of the “Great Recession”) faced a threat from swine flu, another strand of coronavirus. Ultimately, about 60 million people got it in the U.S.; almost 300,000 of us were hospitalized for it and about 12,500 of us died from it.
“Tragic, yes, but we emerged and have thrived in many ways since. There is no reason to think that this, too, shall pass, and we as a people will emerge stronger.
“So, take heart in knowing what we are capable of; if we all do our part for ourselves, our families and our community there is every reason to expect that all shall be well.”
