When a family member passes away, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nephews, cousins and others come together to mourn and renew familial bonds, with those left becoming closer.

When a community suffers a tragedy—whether it’s a natural emergency like a tornado or hurricane or something more man-made like a school shooting or major fire or accident—neighbors reach out to neighbors, providing comfort and support to one another to help them cope through a trying time.

When a nation experiences an unprecedented event—like the 9/11 terrorist attacks—differences are put aside and we all stand together in a united front, showing the best side of our nature.

We now find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. What began in China just a few months ago has quickly spread (and continues to spread) across the world. The rapid pace of this virus shows mankind’s increasing interconnectedness. From Wuhan to Venice, from London to New York City, from Tehran to Tacoma, and now in our very own backyard.

The novel coronavirus does not discriminate. It attacks both young and old. Black and white. Rich and poor. It does not care what language you speak, where you are from or your political or religious views.

The only way we can defeat this threat is for us all to come together … by staying apart. We need to obey orders put in place about avoiding large gatherings, limiting our contact with others, practicing social distancing and washing our hands often. We need to continue to take special steps to protect our most vulnerable in our population—our senior citizens, those with compromised immune systems and other health concerns. We’ve all heard it a million times by now, but these are the only steps we can take to keep us all safe.

The economy will continue to take a hit on every level, from international corporations to mom-and-pop stores to our own household budget.

But if there’s one positive lesson we can draw from this, it’s this: We are all in this together. This disease has showed us that we are one people, no matter our geographic or ideological differences. And when this virus has been gotten under control (and one day soon, we hope, it will) we can all be a little closer.