"Be well. Stay well."
In summary for Monday, March 23:
The U.S. officially had 140 deaths recorded today due to COVID-19. The total case number for COVID-19 climbed by 10,168. Remember!! This is a country with over 330 million citizens (and some illegals) and, on average, 7,000 or more people die in the U.S.
New York state was hit especially hard with 43 new deaths today from COVID-19. They need all the prayers we can muster. It will get worse.
The reaction and actions we are seeing from state and federal government bodies are all meant to slow the growth of this COVID-19 outbreak. We had 140 deaths today. Tomorrow if we record 300, 500 or 800...or worse, that means we are on a very horrid climb with exponential growth of the outbreak. THAT is what we are all working to avoid. THAT is what would break our health care system.
It is far, far too early to jump to any kind of conclusion on how this will pan out in the U.S.
Continue with proper hygiene! (As we should 365 days a year!)
And continue with social distancing. It will save lives, AND it will prevent draconian government measures that are being taken elsewhere in the U.S. and across the globe. Just today, media reports (that are based on reports from law enforcement and the Department of Public Safety) are suggesting that Minnesotans are "hunkering down" at a rate that sets them above other parts of the country and Midwest. This is very important!! I'll go straight back to what I've been preaching for days now: personal responsibility will be our saving grace.
I read that the West Central Tribune has closed their offices to the public as of today. I applaud them for that decision! I haven't decided about the Bonanza Valley Voice office operations. For now, we will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) - our standard weekly office hours.
Good night, all!