InTouch with Southern Kentucky August 2020 | Page 5

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK We’re still trying to balance physical, economic health As of this writing, I’m COVID-free. I, like many of you, have been tested for the virus — my “negative” test came a couple of weeks ago after I dined at a restaurant where an outbreak occurred. Fortunately, my family is fine and the restaurant is back up and running safely. The rapid testing option is fantastic. I had my test done at First Care and was out of there in 30 minutes — you get your results in about 15 minutes. That’s definitely the way to go. But while my personal COVIDrelated news was good, the future is still clouded because of this horrendous virus. As we put this edition of In Touch together, we have plans for a normal-ish school year, complete with extracurricular activities such as football — and God knows I have missed football! But with COVID-19 numbers increasing in recent weeks, I have to wonder if its only a matter of time By Jeff Neal before these activities will have to be reduced, or halted temporarily, so that we can get the spread of the virus under control. I hate that COVID-19 has become a political football. I can assure all of our readers that we just want to bring you the news. We don’t have an agenda. I personally don’t blame President Trump or his response for the COVID crisis — and I support Gov. Andy Beshear’s efforts to curtail the spread. I applaud Somerset Mayor Alan Keck for his reopening strategy — even though there is a possibility we may have to slow things down if the numbers of news cases increase. There are Democrats and Republicans alike who have done a tremendous job during this ordeal. This is a whole new ballgame for all of us. We’ve never been though anything like this before. Let’s try to separate the November election and trying to contain this virus. The election shouldn’t even be a part of the thought process when dealing with COVID — and I’m not sure I’d let anything about this crisis dictate who I voted for in November. The health of our families — our community — is paramount. Trying to balance our physical health and our economic health is likely a challenge we will face for months to come. Jeff Neal is the editor of the Commonwealth Journal and In Touch with Southern Kentucky. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @jnealCJ. AUGUST 2020 In Touch with Southern Kentucky • 5