Looking Forward to the End

Three years ago today – well, sort of, because three years ago was a leap year, so there was a 29th day in February – the first reported death from COVID-19 occurred in the United States. And here we are three years later, and the pandemic seems to be all but over. In fact the US government has issued a statement that affective May 11, 2023, national emergency and public health emergency declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic will come to an end.

Like most people, when I heard that I thought it meant the government would declare the pandemic over. In reality, it means that many of the programs the government implemented to deal with COVID-19 will stop. The list was long and convoluted, as all government issued statements are. I made a quick scan of the part of the list and didn’t find anything special. But what made sense to me at that point was why the government is waiting until May 11 to enact this; they can’t just pull the rug out from under such things. 

The good thing about that declaration, though, is that businesses and other entities are also looking to end things. Such as mandatory masking.

It was like angels singing a hallelujah chorus at the clinic where I work when we read the email stating that over the next few weeks administration will be considering lifting certain restrictions. It was another long list, and all my co-workers and I were looking for was the line that read we would maybe be able to ditch our masks.

Remember how I supposedly retired last June, but caved and went back to working twenty-four to thirty hours per week? I’ve been telling my co-workers that the mask mandate probably won't be lifted until I'm done working for good. Is it possible that I will actual retire soon?

I sure hope so. I have a lot of books to write and a lot of trips to take. I hope that the pandemic has treated you well and you will be just as joyful to see it end.