Gov. Tom Wolf stated last week that he’s lifting some restrictions on Pennsylvania businesses on May 1 and May 8. I know one business for sure whose phone will be ringing off the hook once the okay is given. I’ll give you a hint – my mullet is coming in fine, thank you.
Since most hairdressers and barbers are independent business owners, rest assured, they have been hurting since the shutdown in the middle of March. It could be a toss up on who’s hurting more, the stylists or the folks that need a hair cut and dye job. Depends on whom you’re asking, I suppose.
As the commonwealth reopens little by little, it’s safe to say Pennsylvanians will not be out of the woods. We are learning more and more about this deadly disease as time goes on, and the more facts that are collected about COVID-19, the smarter we will be.
This is a deadly disease and the coronavirus has been found to not only affect the lungs, but also the heart and kidneys.
We found out this past week, a husband and wife from Pittston, both contracted the disease and unfortunately it took their lives.
Let me just say, social media is a joke, and it reduces society down to the lowest denominator.
I can honestly say, when the state shutdown in the middle of March, Facebook, for example, was empty of political rhetoric – people were scared and rightfully so.
Over the last six weeks, it’s clear that people are getting back into the swing of things by choosing sides and all of a sudden, it’s a political thing. I don’t get it, the division in this country is so deep, we made a medical crisis, pandemic or whatever you wish to call it into a political thing.
I’m pretty sure this virus sees no political lines and yes, more elderly have perished from COVID-19 then any other age bracket, but younger people have also succumbed to it.
Look, I don’t like this shutdown as much as the next, and even though I still get to derive some income, it’s been cut and let me also say for the record, I’m a subcontractor and not an employee.
I’d love to be out in the field covering spring sports playoffs or schools gearing up for graduation.
It would have been great covering the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick’s dinner at the Woodlands, especially to see Jimmy Cefalo speak.
It will be different this year when the cherry blossom trees bloom with no festival to honor that happening. I feel bad for Randy Spencer, the 2020 grand marshal of the festival. He’s going to miss out on the parade and just being honored for the weekend.
Many events have been cancelled since the shutdown and many more will be in the future. The airshow at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport has been cancelled. I was looking forward to seeing the return of not only the airshow, but I was looking forward to seeing the Air Force Thunderbirds.
Will August be too soon for social functions? Will the Tomato Festival be cancelled?
Will the “new normal” be wearing masks for a long time?
The first few times I wore a mask, it felt a bit weird and after a week of the order for it to be mandatory to enter a business with one on still doesn’t sit right with me.
I walked into a local CVS and remarked, “If I walked into a place of business prior to the pandemic with a mask on, I’d get arrested.” It just feels like a bad Twilight Zone episode.
Construction crews will be back on the job next week and for a lot of people that are in dire need of a carpenter will be a welcomed sight.
I’m sure the Wilkes-Barre exit ramp off the Cross Valley from Forty Fort would have been finished by not or certainly close to it, but yet when I drive by the construction site, it’s just idle begging to be done.
South Carolina and Florida opened beaches this past week, and people are flocking in droves. Tourism season is beginning, and it’s tough for those states to abstain from letting millions of dollars sift through their hands.
Georgia will be reopening the state over this weekend, and I don’t get allowing bowling alleys to open. I had no idea people would be hankering to get out and roll a few games.
It will be about two to three weeks before we find out if the state of Georgia was right by reopening or if their COVID-19 numbers will soar.
I still believe we need to be vigilant and air on the side of caution. I didn’t go to medical school and I’m assuming most politicians didn’t either so why not trust the medical experts? What do they have to gain? Nothing but saving lives, which is why they went to medical school.
I find it hard to believe any responsible mother would take their children out, even if it’s to the beach. We have been doing our best to comply, and it hasn’t been easy. We are a society of nomads never really staying home.
Stay the course for a bit longer, and eventually we will be able to roam the streets, go back to work, visit family, shop and yes, go bowling.
Quote of the week
“It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.” – Robert H. Goddard
Thought of the week
“Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it.” – Thomas Fuller
Bumper sticker
“Scenery is fine – but human nature is finer.” – John Keats
