It was two months into the national crisis, and Jan Malcolm was calm, sitting with a pen and paper, fielding questions on quarantines, testing capacity and the spread of infectious diseases.
As head of Minnesota’s Department of Health, Malcolm reflexively kept coming back to the “public” part of the public health crisis, emphasizing the little things people can do to seize control of their lives at a time when it feels like they have none: Don’t smoke. Get plenty of rest. Wash your hands.
“We can’t be certain what’s ahead of us,” she said, “but the best way to fight back is to take charge of things that are in our control.” Continue reading.