New Year, Same Pandemic
A new year usually brings the illusion of positive changes for us as well as for the world around us. But the pandemic doesn’t care about our illusions and plays by its own rules. And it doesn’t give us a break.
The new variant, Omicron, is highly contagious and is causing havoc in our society. The only one known way to control this pandemic is keeping the same rules and protocols we learned from the beginning of it: get vaccinated with all three doses, use your mask properly when going to closed places shared with other people—such as supermarkets, shops, sports arenas—wash your masks and your hands when returning home, and keep social distance.
Nothing new but an effective set of rules, easy to follow. And no, these rules do not affect your freedom. They are here for our collective protection. The arrogance of those who claim their individual rights are strained is affecting all of us and compromising the control of the pandemic.
Soon we’ll get self-test kits to test ourselves for Covid at home. Those who test positive need to stay home, isolated, for at least a week.
The year changed, but the threat to our health and well-being due to the pandemic remains. If we are cautious, we can overcome it.
Something positive has changed at the Community Alliance newspaper. Starting with this edition, we are adding three members to our newsroom: I. smiley G. Calderon, Emily García and Paulina Cruz. Thanks to a recent grant that we received, they will contribute with monthly stories until October of this year. This is important input to our newspaper, for the community we serve and for their professional growth. Read their stories and let us (and them) know what you think.
This issue, the Community Alliance brings you, as usual, a wide variety of stories and opinion articles.
I am sure there is a story that will catch your attention: “Who Are You Going to Call When Sheriff’s Office Personnel Are the Thieves?,” by Mike Rhodes (see front page). The story describes how Fresno County Sheriff’s Office personnel grabbed and threw in a trash bin a Community Alliance newsstand that had been located in front of the County Jail—in downtown Fresno. The newsstand was recovered by the writer of the story.
It is outrageous that those who are supposed to protect us—for which they receive a good salary and excellent benefits—are involved in criminal activities, attacking our freedom of expression. Sheriff Mims is washing her hands regarding her responsibility on this matter. She is certainly not a person we can trust.
Till next month.