By the time you read this petition, more people will have been added to our (rapidly rising) number of confirmed cases in our state, and more people will be sick and/or have died. We have 1116 confirmed cases right now and 32 reported deaths. These  numbers—of real people who are suffering—will rise by the time I am finished writing. 

That is why the time to impose a shelter-in-place order for our state is now. Now is not the time for “small government.” It is time for big leadership and for our government to protect us. It is time for us to put ideological beliefs aside and impose this statewide order—for the safety of our citizens. We need our public servants to protect and serve the public by making this hard and necessary decision.

Too many people in our state won’t stay home  unless it’s mandated and enforced. We are seeing that now. We are living in what feels like an invisible war, and our citizens, our neighbors, our loved ones, and our essential workers on the frontlines deserve to be protected by their leaders. Now is the time for our leaders to be bold and adhere to what the data shows: stay-at-home orders save lives. And one precious life lost because we didn’t act sooner is one too many. Please act now. 

Thank you for the measures you have already taken, and we ask you to please commit now to a statewide stay-at-home order and expanding Medicaid to help protect and save more vulnerable lives.

Both of these will save lives. Partisanship won’t.

And so on behalf of myself, my family, and so many good people across our beloved state, please act now.