As we prepare to begin another school year, covid is raring its ugly head all over again. And with the resurgence comes so many questions about how to keep ourselves safe, especially younger folks that the delta variant of the virus seems to be affecting this time around. All the while, vaccinations and mask requirements have become a political and emotional issue instead of seeing it all from a scientific standpoint as we should be doing.
I don’t by any means have a crystal ball, but I see an increasing number of positive cases as we approach fall. With the school year beginning anew and holiday season approaching, we once again will be in situations that would foster the spread of the virus. The numbers thus far for the month of August aren’t looking good.
My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that mask mandates will soon become commonplace again. Worst case scenario, businesses and schools will once again have to be closed and lockdown put back into place. In the words of Catawba County School Board member Jeff Taylor, the only school board member to vote against making masks optional, “I hope I’m wrong.” It’s certainly not anything that any of us looks forward to in the approaching months. I like to be optimistic, but I also can’t ignore where the statistical trends seem to pointing at this time.
And those are my thoughts on all that.
David Lee
David Lee 