Joggers End Run Safety Protocols?

 

For the past three years, from June thru August, my community’s public school system has offered their students the opportunity to enroll in an outdoor, summer fitness program. Their coach supervised activity, for the most part, involves jogging, citywide, upon the vast network of public sidewalks (inclusive of the walkways that run through my neighborhood).

For the past three weeks, I’ve been noticing the increasing number of non socially distancing, mask-less kids… the bulk of them running in tight, side-by-side formation.

The irony, here… be the basic, pandemic, safety protocols needed or not… the vast outdoors, by its very nature, affords everyone the perfect opportunity for social distancing. With minimal effort it’d be easy for everyone to maintain that recommended safety bubble of 2 meters / 6 feet… or more.

Granted, if we can even believe all that our oft, far from truthful leaders have been telling us, out-of-doors transmission of COVID-19 is supposed to be rare. The operative words being “supposed to be”.

However, the full name of that godforsaken pathogen… namely… Novel Coronavirus is what inculcates a healthy dose of awe / respect. Novel means new… so new that the medical community is still discovering the full range of its “talents”. Stated conversely and more realistically, there’s still too damned much that they (and we) don’t know about it.

Let’s say that (as I’m typing this / as you’re reading this) Novel Coronavirus is “flexing” its mutation muscles. What if that means that outdoor transmission has… all the sudden… become easier?

Seeing how jogging does increase both respiration’s rate and intensity, how might that negatively impact joggers who are “flying in formation” for at least an hour?

Let’s say that “only one” asymptomatic, COVID infected, deeply breathing, running kid, somehow, manages to infect another deeply breathing, running kid and, in turn, that kid runs home and infects one of her/his elders… oh… say… a grandparent with a compromised immune system?

Lest we forget, both a pandemics’ first and second wave needs to start somewhere.

And all it would take to fire off a runaway pandemic’s starting gun is “only one” representative of the human race!

 

 

 

 

 

Unveiled Villain (1 Quick Limerick #097)

 

In the limelight, the Crowned Head doth bask,
Snarls at Newshawks, who take him to task,
He’ll pooh-pooh face protection,
To curb COVID infection,
Might he need muzzle, far more than a mask?

 

Stay Safe… Stay Home… Stay Healthy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who was that masked man? (Vid of the Day)

To my much younger self, hearing the William Tell Overture, typically, coincided with the opening credits for each Lone Ranger adventure… the popular, episodic televised western, which, from 1949 to 57, showcased a heroic, crime fighting, masked (around the eyes) horseman, who’d ride into town, at breakneck speed, to save the day… to ward off evil men and thwart their wicked machinations… to make our world a better place to live in.

The LR would routinely get the job done in a non-violent manner… e.g. fire his sixshooter to warn not wound and, even better, oft hand off rather than fire off his trademark, calling card, silver bullets (his symbol of justice, law and order).

In a sense… in our pandemic stricken and sickened world, have not we… the now fighting off stir-craziness, social isolating souls… become masked (around the nose / mouth) heroes on a like-minded, stave off wickedness / save humanity mission?

Our Vid of the Day’s mood elevating, inspirational, instrumental selection could even become our anthem. The above clip features another hero of mine, guitarist extraordinaire, the late Glen Campbell, who will, at first, briefly reminisce about what the Lone Ranger means to him and, next, WOW us while we witness his nimble fingers practically setting his guitar strings ablaze as he unbridles his electrified rendition of the William Tell Overture.

To the best of my knowledge, no lyrics were ever written for this 1829 orchestral masterpiece, composed by maestro Gioachino Rossini, but just as well… only the most accomplished vocalists would ever be able to keep up with such a frenetic tempo.

“Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!”

 

Stay Safe! Stay Home! Stay Healthy! And also Stay On Board with medical professionals and legal authorities, who routinely back their health promoting, life saving advice to us with sound, time honored scientific / medical facts.

It is in everyone’s best interests to…

[1] Practice good hygiene (scrub hands often at least 20 seconds), [2] Cover coughs and sneezes, [3] Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth, [4] observe social distancing protocols (remain at least 2 meters / 6 feet apart [5] wear protective face masks [6] avoid large crowds, [7] socially isolate /  hunker down at home and [8] self-quarantine if you’re feeling ill.