Page 7 - Communities Respond to COVID-19
P. 7

trust...... There was a fire down the road at a neighbors and most of went down to help put it out before
               the fire dept and all got there. Unfortunately one if our community members died from a heart attack.
               There was a lot of police, emt's, fire hot shots so we did get exposed to 20 to 30 people, so far so good
               except for of course loosing a wonderful person and one of the best community members.

               Don Clark

               Chambalabamba, Loja, Ecuador

               We have 33 people trapped in paradise, 9 of which are volunteers from many countries. We are
               enjoying it immensely. We are quarantine, so no one is permitted to come here during this time. We
               have rentals, so we are not making any money with this. Everyone gets along nicely. Everyone works in
               the mornings or more to maintain and improve the community. We have a number of projects:
               gardening, fruit trees, building a trout pond, spirulina production, a carpentry for manufacturing things,
               making videos, children's space for learning, etc. We also gather for workshops, meditation, yoga,
               campfires, shows we put on for ourselves. This coming week we will focus on games and activities to
               promote deeper connections. Some of us are working hard on a project to help make a better world:
               utopiacornucopia.org. Everyday we have lunch together in the maloka.
               Tom Charles Osher

               Muir Commons Cohousing, Davis, California


               At the very beginning of the Corona Crisis, a Safety and Health ad-hoc Committee formed, and came up
               with some guidelines for the community.  We met via Zoom, and agreed to basic precepts, such as no
               meals and no use of the Common House except for essential activities such as laundry, to avoid possible
               Corona contamination.

               Basically, we're sheltering in place in our homes, going outside only for exercise and essential activities
               such as medical appointments and grocery shopping.  We're communicating both for meetings and for
               social events through Zoom, but see each other occasionally on the walkways as we get our mail, and
               can chat from an appropriate distance.  So far, I think people in the community are doing okay, given the
               strange times we're in.

               Laurie Friedman

               Unnamed community school, Texas, USA

               Because the focus of the community is the school, and school is out for the rest of the semester, it has
               had a bit of an impact.

               A handful of us have ""essential"" jobs and have continued to work.  Many of us who have been staying
               home are catching up on long neglected projects.  It's actually been great for us, the garden hasn't
               looked so good in years!

               We have been practicing social distancing but that is starting to relax, there have been fewer large
               community activities. Monthly meetings are outside with plenty of room for distancing and some check
               in via skype.
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