Staying vigilant as closures, social distancing continues

Jackie Nunnery

by Jackie Nunnery

KILMARNOCK—It’s hard to believe it has been more than three weeks since the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced the first case of COVID-19 in the state on March 7. In that span of time, people have had to rapidly change daily habits as schools and businesses closed, church services and other large gatherings of people were canceled, and store shelves began to empty.

People began staying home and social distancing. Self quarantine and self isolation became part of the vocabulary.

With 290 cases and seven deaths statewide, as of March 24, two cases in the Middle Peninsula and none reported in the Northern Neck on the Virginia Department of Health website, it would be easy for people to think “it won’t happen here” and become lax with precautions. After a week of more or less home-confinement, it would be easy for people to throw up their hands and say, “I’m done with this.”

But that would be a mistake, according to Dr. Richard Williams, Three Rivers Health District director, who is urging people to stay vigilant with…[to-view-more]