They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but this photo of three young children dressed in their father’s scrubs and holding up a sign that reads, “Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear scrubs, like our daddy… Please stay home” is worth 6 feet of social distancing, self-quarantine, and proper sanitary procedures.

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It’s pretty difficult to convey all of my feelings during this time. So many thoughts. So many worries. But, I think this photo sums up the gist of it. To anyone on the healthcare front lines, you are our heroes and I am praying for your safety, both physically and mentally. #stayhome

A post shared by S t e p h a n i e (@scscurlock) on Mar 27, 2020 at 2:17pm PDT

With talks of many states reopening, some effective immediately, it’s easy to fall into the false narrative that the pandemic is over and the worst is behind us. This sentiment, however, couldn’t be further from the truth for our frontline workers, who are still seeing an alarming rate of cases coming through their doors on a daily basis.

In an interview with Today, the mother of the three pleading children in the photo, Stephanie Scurlock, expressed her grievances about people not taking social distancing seriously. Because her husband, Joshua, is a resident at a central Massachusetts hospital, where he works in the ICU to help treat COVID-19 patients, her family is still especially vulnerable to the potential detriments that this virus may bring.

“If you won’t stay home for healthcare workers or ‘old people,’ maybe you’ll stay home for their children,” Stephanie told Today. “(The photo) shows us what is truly at stake here if we don’t do our part to fight this virus.” 

Stephanie says that while it’s true that doctors, nurses, first responders, and other essential workers chose their line of work and understood the risks associated with them, it’s imperative to remember that their children and families did not. 

“As the wife of a physician, this is upsetting on a myriad of levels,” Stephanie told Today. “What I hoped to convey through my photo of the kids was that it isn’t just about the health care workers. It’s not just about you. Other people’s lives are directly affected by your choices, good or bad. My husband may have ‘signed up’ to be a doctor, but my kids sure didn’t.”

So as society begins to slowly reopen and we work to re-establish a sense of normalcy, please remember the frontline workers and their families who are still in the midst of the fight against this destructive virus. If you’re not enthusiastic about continuing to social distance (which let’s be honest, many of us aren’t) let this photo serve as a reminder to consider the countless little lives who are still anxiously awaiting their mother or father’s return home from work every evening.