For many Highlands residents and guests, Thanksgiving looked a lot different in 2020 than previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately, it looks like Christmas will almost certainly have a peculiar feel too.
With the news that the Food and Drug Administration approved a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Friday and the first shipments of said vaccine left the warehouse on Saturday, there is reason to be optimistic that coronavirus will not be the single biggest talking point of 2021. But the 3 million doses of vaccine en route to hospitals across the country will not put enough of a dent in the pandemic for anyone to feel safe in a week’s time.
So for Christmas 2020, it’s probably best if we all error on the side of safety and continue to take the precautions that have become a part of everyday life for the past 10 months. Keep gatherings as small as possible, wear a mask if around anyone who does not reside in your household, wash your hands often and if you think you may have any of the common COVID-19 symptoms stay home and self-isolate.
The thought of not giving grandma a hug at Christmas dinner may be heartbreaking, but it pales in comparison to the thought of inadvertently spreading a virus that can cause great harm.
As of Monday, Macon County had 123 active COVID-19 cases, the county’s highest number in more than four months. There have been 1,107 confirmed positive cases since the pandemic began and nine deaths.
While we may be fortunate that our death toll is not higher and our hospitals are not currently overrun with COVID-19 patients, it is not time to be cavalier in the face of the virus for the sake of Christmas gatherings.
Vaccines rolling out nationwide is positive news, and hopefully marks a turning point in what has been a once-in-a-generation public health event. There is hope that 2021 will be marked with a slow return to the normalcy of previous years.
Let’s be thankful for how far we’ve come in an incredibly trying year and finish strong by staying safe through the Christmas break.