All of us sacrifice to get back to 'normal'

To The Eagle:

This week, after a huge amount of work was done behind the scenes this summer, we have the reopening of the schools in Cathlamet. Kudos to everyone who helped get Wahkiakum to this point.

Frankly this year has been awful for almost everyone. We miss milestone events, our families, favorite watering holes, restaurants, movie theaters, concerts, just about every social event at all. We all continue to do so much in sacrifice in order to get back to ‘normal’ sooner.

School opening is a huge step on the road to normal. Will school be the same as it was last year or 20 years ago? Nope. School is four days a week for the littlest kids and alternate days for all the others. There are lots of questions on how Wahkiakum will manage this safely. And lots of plans on what to do if/when.

Even for folks not directly involved with the school, the best answer to the question, “How do we get to the old-fashioned ‘normal’?” is, “together.” COVID-19 is wearing us down and will rise up if we let it. Please keep working with your neighbors and family to remain connected but socially distant; work your new found skills of face mask wearing and smiling with the eyes; keep washing your hands; keep helping those who cannot manage without help; keep being Wahkiakum Strong!

When we have scares about people being infected, and we will, help those folks recover; don’t stigmatize them. We will test a lot more people for COVID than we ultimately find infected. Don’t spread rumors, instead have them stop at your ears, eyes or fingertips.

Together we can open our school successfully. Or together we can guarantee that our school quickly returns back to all ‘remote’ learning. The choice is ours collectively but it isn’t really too hard to choose what most kids would prefer.

Wahkiakum Health Department has COVID-19 screening by phone at 360-849-4041.

Duncan Cruickshank, Operations Manager

Wahkiakum Health &Human Services