Are you ready to come out now?

#Middlebury #Seniors

Warm weather is here, which ideally would coincide with ending the coronavirus restrictions that have kept us isolated for well over a year. Are you ready to come out now?

Many of us aren’t, which isn’t surprising given the ever-changing facts: It’s OK to take your mask off/no, keep wearing your mask. It’s time to go out for a restaurant meal/restaurants are still limited in the number of diners they can allow. More than half the population has now been vaccinated/many younger people are refusing the vaccine.

And therein lies the complication in returning all of us to normal life: those who don’t want the vaccine. Imagine my shock when I called the medical practice the day before my annual physical to ask whether all employees had been vaccinated.

“No,” said the cheerful man who answered the phone. “We’re not required to get it.” I brought this up when I saw my doctor. To his credit, he didn’t try to lie to me.

Why, inquiring minds wanted to know, in a medical setting with sick people in and out all day, didn’t they require employees, especially the ones who get close enough to breathe on patients, to get the vaccine? Because, the doctor said, if they are required to take the vaccine, too many of them would just quit and the medical practice would have to shut down.

It seems to me that advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local governments varies by the day. But we still need to wear masks. We still need to distance ourselves from people, stay out of crowds and avoid poorly ventilated spaces.

To my way of thinking, only one thing has really changed: the weather. It’s time to get out and walk, get some sunshine,
build leg muscles and admire the neighbors’ flowers. Wear a hat.

© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.