By Allen Hamrick
Practices will begin for all fall sports on August 17 as of press time. The schedule was kicked ahead two weeks following new guidelines set forth by state officials. It must be emphasized that in order for the season to go forth as planned, students and fans must follow the safe guidelines that must be maintained including wearing masks and staying the six feet apart.
With the new surge of COVID-19 cases, the state has mandated that masks be worn or otherwise no fall sports. The pandemic has changed the face of the nation, what we do and how we do it. Is it something new? No, it is not the first pandemic that the nation has seen or will ever see again. It is not something that we can’t overcome, and West Virginia led the nation for quite a while in its ability to keep COVID-19 out of the state.
However, we are now in the top five states where the virus has the potential to spread quickly. Something changed, and it will take drastic measures to keep the people as a whole safe. The last thing this county needs is for the cases to surge. It is important to get a little bit of what we have known as normal back, but the only way to do it is to use good sense, wear masks and practice social distancing; otherwise no school, no education, no sports.
Let’s finish 2020 with a bang, take back our lives and defeat the COVID-19 West Virginia style. Don’t let pride get in the way of common sense.
