Muh Muh Muh My Corona (virus)

My daughter's school district just announced that they will be going all remote learning until Sept. 29. School starts Sept. 2. They cited areas in which they will not be ready, including sorting through accommodations for teachers. I assume this applies to teachers who are at high risk for COVID due to underlying conditions. I'm not at all surprised. This is the third district in my county to announce a switch from hybrid to all-remote in about a week and I suspect more dominos will fall. I spoke with a friend of mine who is a professor at a local college but previously taught high school. She has been predicting all along that everybody is going to be remote only.

I absolutely get why they are doing it, but my daughter is frustrated and I don't blame her one bit.

 

As I said in the spring, when my niece and nephew had their prom, graduation and other senior year events canceled, it really sucks to be a young person these days.

Teens and young adults are very adaptable, and most will be responsible and make the best of the COVID situation. But I remember having a great time my senior year of high school, and they're not getting that.

 

Was talking with one of my customers about this last night when she mentioned we were already selling Halloween candy. Not the usual "it's too early" rant (she's right), but instead hoping trick or treaters weren't being set up for another disappointment. I mean, there's just no way we can have a Halloween celebration (either traditional door-to-door, mall parties or even pumpkin patches), is there?

And, yes, I know we were saying the same thing about high school and college football three months before this.

 

What? LSU at Auburn on Halloween Night is going to be epic. Trick or Treating at the tailgate then in the stands! It just means more!!!

 

Full moon on Halloween. That doesn't happen very often.

 

How many in Tiger costumes?

 

Meanwhile in my part of suburban-to-rural Ohio, it's full steam ahead. Every school district in my coverage area is resuming soon with in-person classes. Only a couple of districts offered an opt-out option for those who wished their kids use virtual learning.

Two school districts -- both of which are in small villages -- are starting tomorrow. Both villages had giant rec softball tournaments over the weekend. While Ohio continues to tread down, there's a big surge in this area. We far and away lead the state in per captia new cases.

I'm sure it'll be fine.

 

Meanwhile, Alabama's Gov. Ivey put in a statewide mask requirement (which admittedly is poorly enforced, although many stores are doing so consistently) three weeks ago. We've gone from 1,800 new cases a day to 840, and our Rt is down to 0.93. It can be done, you just have to do it.

 

Notre Dame, Michigan State suspend in-person instruction