Parents scrambling for child care options on the heels of temporary school closures.

Store shelves without essential goods, including bread, eggs and toilet paper.

Events and ball games canceled. Libraries and recreation centers closed.

A collective feeling of tension and uncertainty as the world, right down to our own communities, suddenly has become a different place.

In little more than a week, Colorado went from no reported cases of COVID-19 to more than 100, a mark that was surpassed March 14. None of our Denver metro area counties has been spared by the pandemic, with multiple cases reported in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties and more.

This is a time in which physical isolation, sometimes in the form of imposing a self-quarantine, is becoming increasingly necessary.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says symptoms of COVID-19 can include a cough, fever and shortness of breath. If you can, get tested for the virus. But the CDC urges you to stay home, except to get medical care, even if you just suspect that you have been infected.

We applaud those of you who are taking crucial precautions, be it avoiding crowds, a self-quarantine or the necessity of carefully washing your hands with soap and water. This is a time when community members need each other more than ever, and everyone must do his or her part.

So what can you do? Tips and recommendations are too numerous to list here — find much more at www.cdc.gov — but here are a few we would like to highlight:

Help protect older adults, whom the CDC has identified as being particularly at risk from COVID-19. Maybe you are under the weather but don’t think much of it — well, please think again. Avoid crowds in general, of course, but pay particular attention to keeping your distance from seniors if it is at all possible you are infected.

Create a household plan. The CDC recommends having on hand a two-weeks’ supply of medications, food and other essentials. To that, we’ll add this: Don’t hoard. Save some bread, toilet paper and infant-care supplies for others, if you can find them at all.

Educate yourself. Get information on COVID-19 from experts, including the CDC, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, www.colorado.gov/cdphe, or your local health department. If you live in Arapahoe, Douglas or Adams, your agency is the Tri-County Health Department, www.tchd.org. In Jefferson, it is Jefferson County Public Health, www.jeffco.us/public-health.

As part of these communities, Colorado Community Media is trying to help by providing news and updates on our websites as soon as we get our hands on the latest information. And we’re putting these reports in front of our paywall for free access — this is critical, public safety information.

To that end, let us know how COVID-19 is affecting your life. Tell your story by emailing us at newsdesk@coloradocommunitymedia.com.

We’re all in this together. Who knows if your story or advice could inspire others at this tough time?

Be kind.

Share.

Let’s take care of our communities.