Covid has hit close to home now. My oldest daughter, a nurse at a local nursing home, is working amidst a new outbreak. She has had to ask a family member to keep her daughter for at least a month, as the outbreak makes its way through her workplace. As the facility becomes short of nurses, who are home in isolation, patients who were exposed, are moved to different areas of the facility in order to receive care. The nurses take Covid-19 tests once a week. I am thankful for this, as it seems that it may have helped to slow the spread a bit.
My state is now one of the states with a large number of new cases. Instead of following CDC guidelines, our leaders say to “wear a mask if you are at risk”, and “stay home if you are scared”. Tonight my town is having a big community gathering that has been taking place once a month (not for the last few months). People will be gathering at our town square, shopping and enjoying local restaurants and bars. Tomorrow, our town is having their annual fireworks display, as well as some area parades. Some of our hospitals are near being overwhelmed, and yet they keep doing their own thing.
I am bracing for impact. I will be getting a Covid-19 test early this week. I was with my daughter one day this past week, driving her to and from an oral surgeon. We both wore masks in the car on the way there, but afterward, only I wore one. She was bleeding and in pain.
We are still waiting for our plan to reopen schools. The first day of school is suppose to be August 3rd, with teachers reporting back a week before that. No one knows what to do! Maybe a more appropriate way to put that is, no one agrees on what to do! I am a proponent of CDC guidelines and science. It seems that my town is passionately divided on the severity of COVID-19, and following CDC guidelines.
I know that for me, physical distancing will be very challenging to do in schools. Kids love to hug and touch, and be close to others. I often find myself on the floor with kids, having discussions or playing games. Staying six feet apart will have to be taught and practiced by everyone. I have started noticing my own distance from others. I tend to feel pretty far for a conversation at about three feet. At six feet, it feels like being all the way across the room!
I hope you all are well, and finding ways to meet your needs amidst a pandemic….
~AoA
Army of Angels: Part 2 
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