Recently the Wood County Commissioners, Doris Herringshaw, Craig LaHote, and Ted Bowlus, communicated with all county staff regarding the pandemic. They wish to share this communication with all people in Wood County:
Admittedly, we are tired of the pandemic, and we guess most of you are as well. Unfortunately, it will remain a dominant part of our lives until a successful vaccine is released. With this in mind, we want to encourage you to remain vigilant regarding protecting yourself and those around you from COVID-19.
This is especially important as the seasons change and we look forward to all the good things that traditionally happen in the fall and winter. The virus is still very much with us and we must continue to exercise caution in nearly every aspect of our lives.
As colder weather approaches our ability and desire to enjoy activities outdoors will diminish and we will spend more time indoors. Traditionally we look forward to gatherings with family and friends at Thanksgiving and all the holidays that occur in December – most of which are celebrated in our homes and other indoor spaces. Given the potential health risks of the virus, we urge you to give serious consideration to how we can enjoy time with family and friends without risking infection. We simply cannot take a business-as-usual approach to these gatherings and events.
The virus is invisible and affects people in widely different ways. For example, a young person may have the virus and not be aware of it because they exhibit few or no symptoms. If that same young person interacts with a much older friend or relative, the virus can be spread to them, and the effect on the older person can be far worse or even deadly.
Until there is a vaccine, this scenario will not change.
Please be just as vigilant in your personal life as you are at work. Wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose when you are near other people, indoors or out. Maintaining personal distance from other people of at least 6 feet is vitally important. Get a flu shot. And continue to wash your hands often throughout each day. This will also help with the flu and common cold.
If your traditional Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holiday events involve large gatherings at the home of a family member or friend, we encourage you to make other plans. We have seen example after example of virus spread that resulted from a family gathering. The consequences can be catastrophic. Trying to stick with tradition in 2020 is likely a very bad decision.
So please be safely creative with your holiday planning – much smaller groups of people – maintaining virus protocols – being very protective of older people. Hopefully at some point in 2021, the virus will be controlled and our family traditions can be restored. Until then, please remain vigilant with COVID-19.
