To Our Karukinka Family,
Just like you, we are watching the COVID-19 crisis unfold across the world. We are preparing ourselves knowing that we are just at the beginning of this. While most things are uncertain, what we do know is that if we can come together, we will emerge on the other side of this stronger than ever.
We stand behind the decisions made by the Chilean government to keep our loved ones safe. We expect more changes in the coming days and weeks and will embrace them, knowing that we must flatten the curve. Vulnerable communities need us more than ever to think about how our taken-for-granted actions could have devastating results.
To all of the parents who don’t know what to do with your children; to the students whose home is school; to the healthcare workers on the front line; to those of you who have been targets of aggression and racism; to all of the people who aren’t working, not getting paid leave, and have no safety net: Our hearts go out to you.
We want to look back on this challenging time and be proud of how we acted and how we took care of our communities, our loved ones, and ourselves. We are following the guidelines recommended by our government and W.H.O. That is why are implementing stringent social distancing protocols, increasing our sanitation and hygiene, and eliminating all unnecessary in-person interactions. We will continue to evaluate our operations as the situation unfolds and our government offers more guidelines.
Society is juggling what is more important—our lives or our livelihoods. We know that for many people those two things are interconnected. We must prioritize the people who will suffer the most physically, emotionally, and economically. There are too many small businesses in Chile who are just emerging from the devastation of the riots and protests, and we need to band together to support them and protect the health of our most vulnerable populations.
Please take care of yourselves and the people around you. We need one another.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
