A VIRUS JOURNAL April 8

 A COMMUNITY'S THOUGHTS - CONCORDIA, KS
 The Blade-Empire is publishing this community journal as an ongoing record of the thoughts of our citizens as we embark on this journey through the coronavirus crisis.
Tell us what you think; your thoughts, fears and hopes for yourself, loved ones, and your fellow Americans. You may use your name; or you may submit anonymously.
When the pandemic is over, the Blade-Empire will publish the journal as a book. The thoughts of Concordians will become a time capsule and historical record for future generations to remember.

CORONAVIRUS TOLL
Worldwide: Infected-1,453,804   Deaths-83,588
Kansas: Infected-900 Deaths-27
Cloud County: Infected-3

Mark Matthew, Concordia mayor and city commissioner: COVID19 has taken the world by surprise and is proving to be a greater challenge to our ways of life socially, financially, occupationally and, to some, maybe spiritually. The virus is a serious adversary, but we will defeat it by following the parameters that we are given regarding stay at home, social distancing, disinfecting surfaces, washing our hands and covering our coughs and sneezes.  
When put into perspective, these actions are relatively small when compared to being called to go to war. As a recent social media post read, we are basically being asked to stay home with our families and sit on the couch. Think of the number of veterans who, in the history of our country, were asked to bear arms and fight on foreign lands to protect and preserve our ways of life and our Constitutional rights. What we are being asked to do seems to pale in comparison.
During my career, I traveled extensively throughout Asia and Europe. I consider myself fortunate that I did so without any major illnesses or incidents. This was made possible due to the health and safety policies of the companies I worked for. Plans were often changed and cancelled due to perceived threats, dangers and fears. This holds true for what we are going through at present. Our Government is providing rules and guidelines that not everyone may agree with, but it is imperative that we comply. The sooner we comply, the sooner we can return to normal.
On the bright side, this pandemic bears witness to how the strength and kindness of mankind comes through by way of helping others. We are resilient, strong and caring. Once this crisis has passed, we will be stronger and more determined as individuals and as a country.
To some, we may appear to be vulnerable at present, but nobody should ever underestimate the strength and resolve of our great nation.
My great-great grandparents settled in Jewell County in 1870. They came from New York and Wisconsin. My great-great grandfather was once interviewed about his life and surviving their journey west. When asked how they were able to survive, he said, “All we had was ourselves and determination.”  
Ourselves and determination. We have that. Together, we can mitigate the threat of COVID19.
Stay strong, stay safe and help others.

Geriatric nurses: It's hard to see the residents struggle with all the new changes happening lately. It's difficult for them to understand the extent of what is happening. Many residents are accustomed to coming and going as they wish. Many residents rely on visits from their children, grandchildren, other family members, and church friends, neighbors, etc. These visits give them much needed social interactions and something to look forward to. The visits are via Skype, Zoom, or a window visit. Thank goodness for technology to make this happen, but it pales in comparison to the tiny arms of your granddaughter or from a handshake from your son. Besides visits from family and friends, our residents are missing out on their weekly hair appointments because the hairdresser is not considered an essential employee... we disagree! Activities for residents are also changed. Activity directors and staff have had to think outside the box to provide various activities that follow social distancing guidelines. Meal routines have been altered as well to protect the residents and comply with infection control guidelines related to coronavirus. With all the changes and difficulties, we are grateful for technology and families working with us to figure out how to make communication happen for residents. We are also grateful to staff for their dedication to working with residents and families to get through this time as smoothly and as safety as possible!

A Cloud County farmer: Always remember where your food comes from. The producer is taking it in the shorts selling cattle. The consumer is paying high prices for meat in the stores right now, but we're not getting it on our end. The large packing houses are making record profits. We as Farmer/Ranchers are the only Industry that cannot set the price on our goods and services.

Anonymous: now they're tracking our cell phones. Next they'll be coming for our guns.

A CHS senior: At first, I wasn’t worried about the whole COVID-19 situation and honestly thought that everyone was simply overreacting. The word “pandemic” was being thrown around, and I continued as normal with my routine while thinking, “Oh, I live in Kansas and it could never affect me or be a worry.”
The catch was that I work in healthcare, in a nursing home with 30 residents. I took advantage of being out of school for a longer period of time than expected and went to work like normal. The thing is, work changed dramatically. Now, I have to come to work with extra scrubs, medicine I take, feminine hygiene products, bathroom essentials, my CNA license, my driver’s license, etc. Before I can open the door to my workplace, my temperature is checked and I am asked if I have been to any “hotspots” in the area or if I have a sore throat. If I answer yes to anything, then I am sent home, and if I have a temperature then I am sent home. If at any point in time there is a COVID-19 threat at the nursing home, then everyone in the facility at the time will be quarantined there. It is unusually stressful to go to work now, and I hope that I won’t be quarantined there without my school work or enough help to even keep the facility running without being completely drained 24/7. It is my job though, so I still show up and work when I need to and make peace with this obstacle.
As a student, this situation has wreaked havoc on my high school ending. Just last month, we received our caps and gowns at school. Like many others, I rushed home after school and put it on while smiling and thinking, “Wow, only two more months.” Then a couple of weeks passed and now that ending has been destroyed. I won’t get to listen to Mrs. Watson’s stories at the end of the year, to feel the senioritis take over the last week, to walk out of that school and think about how I won’t go back as a student. Specific things were stripped from my senior year. I don’t get a traditional graduation ceremony, an award’s ceremony, a last prom and that is a letdown. I worked so hard throughout my high school years to be the best I could be and to graduate as a CHS Honor Scholar. I looked forward to the moment when I could walk across the stage and receive my diploma and look up at my parents to see how proud they are of me. I know that we still get our awards and people are still proud of us, but I know that none of the seniors were ready for it to end and we wanted to go out in style.
There are some positives to the situation though. Like tests and finals? Basically none, or at least they get easier. I still have a job where I am needed, so I can make more money. This COVID-19 pandemic has brought more dark days than sunny ones, but we can still hope it comes to an end soon and focus on the bright parts.

Please email your thoughts to russell@nckcn.com. In the Subject Line type "Journal Entry'
Or you may write down your thoughts and mail them to:
Blade-Empire\Journal Entry
510 Washington Street
Concordia, KS 66901