So much for the idea that the press would stop talking about the virus as soon as Donald Trump lost re-election. We suppose the media conspirators who were pushing this hoax just to defeat the sitting president aren't very good at their jobs.
Or perhaps a different reading of matters: This virus is real enough, and it doesn't take its marching orders from American politics.
The Washington Post said last weekend that health officials are making "their final pleas" in one last push before the holidays to make sure people stay safe. Doubtful anything is final, though. This is only Thanksgiving week. Still ahead: Christmas, New Year, Mardi Gras, Super Bowl parties, winter ... .
If anybody still doubts the seriousness of this pandemic--and you can see them on occasion, as they "boldly" walk into convenience stores without masks, willing to die with their rights on, or at least potentially sicken others--then note that New Orleans has canceled Mardi Gras.
Well, not exactly. Mardi Gras is a religious holiday, so it can't be canceled any more than Christmas can be. But the city has banned parades in celebration of it. The first super-spreader events might have actually been at Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans early in 2020. So even politicians in Louisiana can prove educable. Folks who want to go to Cafe Du Monde to shoo the pigeons will be required to wear masks and social distance.
Covid-19 is real enough. The National Guard has been called up in Texas to help out at morgues. The Defense Department has announced that it will limit the number of personnel working at the Pentagon. Not to put too fine a point on it, but they don't cancel LSU-Alabama football games for hoaxes.
We've spent a few hours scrolling through the arkansascovid.com website that we commented on Monday. The deeper we go into the website, the more we find that suggests the people who put it together are performing a real public service. Misty Orpin and all those students at the U of A keep feeding it numbers daily, and the graphics make things easy to read and understand.
So what do we suggest for this week's holiday? We suggest being careful. By wearing masks and keeping your distance and washing your hands. The CDC even suggests having Thanksgiving meals outside if you're inviting family.
Earlier this year, Gov. Asa Hutchinson brought a football with him to a press conference, telling his constituents that if you want this in the fall--football--you have to take necessary precautions first. It goes the other way, too: If you don't want some things, We the People will have to take precautions to avoid them.
The governor of Nevada has announced a "statewide pause" of at least three weeks starting today, with stricter capacity limits on businesses again.
Los Angeles announced restrictions on business and restaurants, ordering many of them to shift to take-out and delivery only.
Philadelphia has shut down indoor dining until 2021.
New Jersey has issued orders limiting private gatherings to 10 people.
Delaware has capped the number of people at houses of worship to 50 people.
If you cross the state line into Massachusetts, you must quarantine for two weeks. Or face a $500-per-day fine.
These are things nobody in these latitudes wants to do, or have done to them. So how to avoid the worst?
Wear masks. Social distance. Wash hands. Perhaps have the picnic table ready outside for Thanksgiving. It's supposed to be pretty weather in Arkansas.
This is not the final push, not with all the holidays still to come. But it might be the semi-final push, or the quarter-final push. We can't call time-out this week, as much as we'd like to.
Steady. Strength. Perserverance. We'll get there.