Boston has a lot to be proud of – our rich history, progressive ideas, vibrant social scene, the nature beautifully woven throughout our bustling city – all these things are great and make our city the special one that it is, and there is only one thing that makes all of that possible. That thing is us – the people. Not only us as individuals, but us as a collective. Our city traditionally instills in its residents a hard-working mentality and a sense of respect for our fellow Bostonians. In good times, this togetherness is easy to celebrate and maintain. However, it is during times like these, when the activities that characterize our beautiful summer are hindered by a global pandemic, that our camaraderie is put to the test.
In February, Boston announced its first coronavirus case. It was one of the earliest documented cases in the United States. Things were calm for about a month, but in March the situation started to look bleak. Boston-area universities such as Tufts and Harvard were some of the first in the country to cancel school for the academic year. Throughout April, Massachusetts did not see a day where there were fewer than 1,000 new cases, registering one of the highest total number of cases in the United States. By the beginning of May, experts were speculating that Boston would become the new epicenter of the pandemic as New York began to flatten their curve. On top of this, people were starting to become antsy after a month and a half of quarantine. Some businesses could no longer remain closed, people were losing jobs and taking pay cuts, and social unrest in response to the murder of George Floyd was making tough circumstances worse. It seemed that Boston was in for a long hard summer – Stop there!
Our city always tends to do its best when it is down. For example, think about Super Bowl LI in 2017 when the Patriots were down 28 – 3 to the Falcons in the middle of the 3rd Quarter. What happened next? Did the Patriots fold? No. Behind the leadership of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the Patriots began to “Do Their Job” – a term coined by coach Belichick that emphasizes a mentality of sacrificing individual glory to do what your told in order to help the team win. With this attitude fueling their every move, the Patriots came back to beat the Falcons in overtime. Just like the Patriots are no stranger to the Super Bowl, our citizens are no strangers to overcoming adversity.
Although a global pandemic is not a game of football, and most of us are not professional athletes, Bostonians are starting to look like the 2017 Patriots. We were down early on, but now we’re slowly beginning to crawl our way back. Behind a sound game plan from Governor Charlie Baker, Mayor Marty Walsh, and other public health officials, Bostonians are coming back to work, enjoying our city’s restaurants, out lounging in the Common, or making trips down to the Cape. Our reopening process has not been met with a viral increase in cases because Bostonians “did their job” and stuck to the game plan. People are wearing masks, restaurants and cities are cooperating to provide space for outdoor, socially distanced seating in jam-packed areas like Somerville, Quincy, and Cambridge, and companies are developing procedures to bring employees back to work safely.
Although this has all been great, the game is not won yet. Our opponent can still come back. We’ve made it this far, let’s see it through. We are almost at the finish line. Let’s win this thing. Keep it up Boston – We’re doing great.