OPINION | The Local Views
LETTERS
From the managing editor
| Reader Views
Thanks to those who brave the elements By Melody Kinser Managing Editor o the men and women who go out in all weather conditions to help others, thank you. I take this personally since my father worked for 22 years as a lineman for the electric utility company in our hometown. Dad often would be gone for days at a time to ensure service was restored throughout the county. Every time I see posts praising the dedication of healthcare workers, Fire/EMS, law enforcement, transportation crews, and various utility providers, I think about Dad. As we kept an eye on updating weather reports early last week, Mom talked about a
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major snow that had Dad working three days before returning home. She said he was soaked after having been out in the cold wet conditions. Most of us are just relieved when services are restored without thinking about those who have been out remedying that inconvenience to us. We are fortunate in Hanover County to rarely have significant outages. This is being written on Tuesday, Feb. 16, and I have friends in areas of West Virginia that have been without electricity since Wednesday, Feb. 10. If you drive by crews working for us, blow your horn and give them a thumbs-up or some form of acknowledgement for their devotion to the people they serve -- as in us.
I’ve gone to work when the snow was up to my knees and the temperature was -17. There was a state of emergency, but newspapers still came off the presses. Side note: They were stacked until delivery was permitted. The National Guard was accommodating to a photographer as roads were practically free of any traffic. So, I will give a shout-out to those in the media who also bundle up, layered in clothes, digging out vehicles, or trying to find a ride to get the job done. We do appreciate all who make our lives easier by going out to help in several different capacities. The best two words are: Thank you.
Back to school: list of challenges can be daunting By Jim Ridolphi Contributing Columnist Seven months before the beginning of a new school year in September, parents and students are breathing a sigh of relief as the possibility of a return to campus seems like a real possibility. For many, COVID-19 robbed them of their junior and senior years of high school, obliterated the lifelong memories all of us have of our years in high school and left them isolated and
removed from the normal pleasures of proms and graduations. But, the return to school for many districts presents a daunting list of challenges, and officials are scrambling to ensure a safe and efficient return to in-house instruction. While some districts in our area are already engaged in some sort of face-to-face instruction, most have offered options, including online and virtual learning. For those who have returned a portion of their students to in-class
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The Mechanicsville Local
February 24, 2021
education, maintaining current mitigation requirements while welcoming back thousands of students produces a new set of problems, including capacity and transportation. Keeping students socially distanced on campus is not easy, and opening school to all students exacerbates that problem. While academic programs and other activities can be adjusted to accommodate the regulations, capacity is more difficult to resolve. Returning to school post-COVID
will not be easy with school administrators presented with unique logistical challenges. Add those factors to a hearty set of challenges that existed before the pandemic, and it’s clear to see the next few months will not be easy for educators. In addition to the impacts and adjustments made necessary by COVID-19, school systems are facing a myriad of evolving challenges. Before the pandemic hit in March see SCHOOL, pg. 8
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County working with health district to provide vaccine (Editor’s note: The following letter was addressed to Dear Community Partner from John A. Budesky, County Administrator.) Hanover County is working with the Chickahominy Health District to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to our residents. While the health department has a plan to offer the vaccine to various priority groups, such as healthcare professionals, first responders, and older residents, we also are committed to providing equity in its administration to all members of the community, including minority groups. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “longstanding systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. The term “racial and ethnic minority groups” includes people of color with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.” The CDC further states that “as the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program expands, public health officials should ensure that vaccine is administered efficiently and equitably within each successive vaccination priority category, especially among those at highest risk for infection and severe adverse health outcomes, many of whom are non-Hispanic Black (Black), non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Hispanic persons (2,3).” Please help Hanover County to communicate with all members of our community this important information about the vaccine process. At this time people can sign up if they wish to receive the vaccine. In order to sign up for the vaccine waiting list, people can visit www.hanovercounty.gov and click on COVID-19 see LETTERS, pg. 8
