Coming Together While Standing Apart: Encouraging Community Ownership During the Isolating Days of the Pandemic

Abstract

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the future feels difficult and uncertain, and few of us have much control over it, beyond doing our best to keep ourselves informed and those around us safe. The result is a lot of unhappy people. Gallup survey data have shown that pessimism about the future of the pandemic in the United States is rising and is infecting the general outlook of most Americans. This article describes how one local government and health department communicated successfully during the pandemic—and even increased community engagement—by encouraging a sense of community ownership.