by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
I live in a "big" small town in rural southern Missouri. West Pains has a population of 12,000 in a county of around 40,000 individuals. Since the pandemic began hitting its stride in early March, my county, Howell, has reported approximately 50 cases of individuals who are positive for COVID-19, with most of those being reported within the past couple of weeks - and a majority living in or around West Plains.
My physician and I talked about the impact of the pandemic on the local area. He said that a good rule of thumb, at least for this area, is to assume there are fifty positive cases in the area for each one that is discovered. That would indicate that there are probably 2,500 positive cases in Howell County, and that a majority of those would be in the West Plains area.
That is not yet a panic situation, but to this 72-year-old diabetic with a history of heart issues and the limitations imposed by a broken arm (or shoulder), it is concerning.
I can no longer drive because of the broken arm (or shoulder), and the end result is that I do not get to town very often. Last week, after being at home without respite for more than two solid weeks, I had two brief opportunities to go to town - and those trips provided some insights into the local changes that are occurring because of the pandemic.
First of all, one of the local grocery stores has finally initiated a curbside pickup program - and I understand it may be gearing up for a delivery program as well. Thank you, Aldi's for moving into the 21st century. Hopefully the other stores will begin following your lead.
Face masks were also more common than they had been previously. I had to run into a local "dollar" store for a couple of birthday cards, something I dreaded because the store's floorspace is crowded with merchandise - and shoppers there sometimes seem to be a bit resistive when it comes to following social norms. But this time I was surprised - shocked - to find that all of the people I encountered in the store were wearing face masks! I have no idea what brought about that sudden rush to mask, but this old coot appreciated the effort of all concerned.
(I even saw people out on the streets wearing masks.)
I noticed quite a bit more traffic in town than I had seen in past recent trips. Most of the fast food franchises appeared to have opened their dining rooms, and all seemed to have a good lunch business going - though none appeared to be overly crowded. I am guessing that some who have returned to work are now packing lunches rather than rubbing elbows with others who are eating out.
I also visited a medical clinic that had been generally ignoring safety protocols when I had last been there three weeks earlier - but this time everyone was masked, and all of the safety rules were being vigorously followed.
Overall the impression I received was that people are trying to resume as much of their pre-pandemic lives as they can, but they also seem to be aware that the crisis is not over - and that being careless will only serve to make things worse and extend the agony of living in pandemic mode. I also suspect that some who have recently returned to work feel that has been forced upon them, and they are fighting against the increased likelihood of becoming infected by taking precautions.
Whatever the causes, businesses here in my rural part of the world are opening back up, and people still seem to be concerned with remaining as safe as they can be. And I am all for that because ultimately my safety depends on theirs!
Citizen Journalist
I live in a "big" small town in rural southern Missouri. West Pains has a population of 12,000 in a county of around 40,000 individuals. Since the pandemic began hitting its stride in early March, my county, Howell, has reported approximately 50 cases of individuals who are positive for COVID-19, with most of those being reported within the past couple of weeks - and a majority living in or around West Plains.
My physician and I talked about the impact of the pandemic on the local area. He said that a good rule of thumb, at least for this area, is to assume there are fifty positive cases in the area for each one that is discovered. That would indicate that there are probably 2,500 positive cases in Howell County, and that a majority of those would be in the West Plains area.
That is not yet a panic situation, but to this 72-year-old diabetic with a history of heart issues and the limitations imposed by a broken arm (or shoulder), it is concerning.
I can no longer drive because of the broken arm (or shoulder), and the end result is that I do not get to town very often. Last week, after being at home without respite for more than two solid weeks, I had two brief opportunities to go to town - and those trips provided some insights into the local changes that are occurring because of the pandemic.
First of all, one of the local grocery stores has finally initiated a curbside pickup program - and I understand it may be gearing up for a delivery program as well. Thank you, Aldi's for moving into the 21st century. Hopefully the other stores will begin following your lead.
Face masks were also more common than they had been previously. I had to run into a local "dollar" store for a couple of birthday cards, something I dreaded because the store's floorspace is crowded with merchandise - and shoppers there sometimes seem to be a bit resistive when it comes to following social norms. But this time I was surprised - shocked - to find that all of the people I encountered in the store were wearing face masks! I have no idea what brought about that sudden rush to mask, but this old coot appreciated the effort of all concerned.
(I even saw people out on the streets wearing masks.)
I noticed quite a bit more traffic in town than I had seen in past recent trips. Most of the fast food franchises appeared to have opened their dining rooms, and all seemed to have a good lunch business going - though none appeared to be overly crowded. I am guessing that some who have returned to work are now packing lunches rather than rubbing elbows with others who are eating out.
I also visited a medical clinic that had been generally ignoring safety protocols when I had last been there three weeks earlier - but this time everyone was masked, and all of the safety rules were being vigorously followed.
Overall the impression I received was that people are trying to resume as much of their pre-pandemic lives as they can, but they also seem to be aware that the crisis is not over - and that being careless will only serve to make things worse and extend the agony of living in pandemic mode. I also suspect that some who have recently returned to work feel that has been forced upon them, and they are fighting against the increased likelihood of becoming infected by taking precautions.
Whatever the causes, businesses here in my rural part of the world are opening back up, and people still seem to be concerned with remaining as safe as they can be. And I am all for that because ultimately my safety depends on theirs!
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