In Focus

I’m happy to see things starting to get back to normal.

It’s nice to drive through town and see people going into bars and restaurants. The gyms are starting to open up and so are movie theaters.

Quarantine has taken its toll financially and mentally on so many people. I feel that if this happened during the entire winter months, things would have been worse, especially mentally. It’s one thing to be told to stay home, but at least when the weather is nice we can go outside, go for a walk, have a bonfire in the backyard or do some gardening.

There has been a lot of talk of a second wave of COVID-19 coming. I’ve heard fall or winter, some say it will happen sooner. While I hope it doesn’t happen at all, it probably will. I don’t think any of us want another quarantine, but we’ll have to wait and see.

I know I am tired of it, as are many of you. My hope is people will continue to take precautions to prevent the spread and hopefully prevent another mass wave, while being able to continue to live our lives.

This pandemic has already taken so much from us. Many summer festivals and events have already been cancelled and others are still in jeopardy. I am used to running around most weekends to cover festivals in the summer, and now I have weekends to myself. In one aspect, I am enjoying my free time and weekends without having to chase all over the place, but on the other hand, it’s a huge financial loss not just to us here at the newspaper, but also for the area towns and businesses.

I know the governor is turning the “dial,” but I don’t know if it will be fast enough to save any festivals that are planned for late summer. It’s already a strange feeling to not have some of the usual events taking place right now.

I also hope for a normal start to the school year. I know many parents and students are frustrated and worried there will be more distance learning. I’m worried too.

While I am happy to see some sense of normalcy again, I am still concerned about what the future holds. We can only pray that things will get better.