EDITOR’S LETTER

Collin Kelley collin@atlantaintownpaper.com

But it was indeed COVID-19. I got the antibody test last month when I went for my regular checkup. For someone my age and health issues, my doctor says I am very lucky not to have wound up in the hospital.

I encourage everyone to get the antibody test and know your status on this. You, too, could have had a mild case like I did or been asymptomatic and not even known it. The word of health and medical officials should be your guide, not politicians who think it’s a hoax or no big deal. As I write this letter, Georgia is one of 29 states having a surge in coronavirus cases.

In early June, a friend and I escaped for a weekend to Savannah. I desperately needed a change of scenery after being cooped up in my apartment for months. I’m not a big swimmer, but I do love being by the water. We found an Airbnb that was off the beaten path, but still walking distance to the far end of Tybee Beach.

It was a relaxing, but unnerving weekend because Savannah was like the land the pandemic forgot. Other than restaurant workers, I didn’t see a single mask all weekend. The beach was heaving with people and so were Tybee’s bars, restaurants, and shops. Along River Street in Savannah, the tourists were back, the shops and bars were open, and it appeared to be summer as usual. Again, no masks. This is why we’re having a surge in cases.

As demonstrators took to the streets in June to protest against racial injustice, Mayor Keisha Lane Bottoms urged those taking part to get tested for COVID-19. It should come as no surprise that the age group showing the highest number of new cases is 21 to 30.

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Look, I understand that wearing a mask is uncomfortable. It makes my face sweat and sometimes I don’t feel like I’m getting enough oxygen. What I don’t get is the people who ludicrously claim that wearing a mask infringes on their liberty, is un-American, and have turned it into a partisan issue. A mask has nothing to do with politics or your patriotism; it’s saving lives – possibly your own.

On a closing note, June was another history-making month not only in Atlanta, but across the nation. The state passed a hate crimes bill, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed federal protection for LGBTQ workers, and impassioned demonstrators took to the streets to remind us that Black Lives Matter. Thank you to our readers who followed our coverage of the protests at AtlantaINtownPaper.com and on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. We are striving to be your go-to source for accurate community news in these life-changing times.