Alka's Angle

Friends, no one had imagined we would be having the kind of Thanksgiving we will have this year! And yet -- here we are!  So, I was looking for a message that would help us keep things in perspective, for the reality is that we will not be with family and friends as we are used to.

I was in the kitchen when my phone suddenly started making the Emergency Alert sound! It startled me because: 1) I didn’t have the TV on and I had only experienced that sound on TV, and 2) I didn’t think the weather was going to be bad at all, so then why the alarm? Just as I was thinking, the announcement began -- telling us that we needed to stay at home and only go out if necessary! Even though I know both our Governor and the Mayor have been telling us this was coming, and even though our Bishop has also asked churches to stop all in-person worship, my heart did miss a beat at the announcement! I am sure I am not alone.

I am sure you are feeling the same stress that I am feeling -- caused by the resurgence, the longing to see friends, the uncertainty of this pandemic coming to an end, the beginning of shortened days, and on and on I could go.

But it is not healthy for us to live with that stress, and the truth is it does no one any good, nor does it change anything.  A friend recently shared this story with me, that I am now sharing with you: 

This is a beautiful week -- weather wise. The sun is out, the temperatures have been high enough for us to enjoy the outside for a few more days. I want to focus on that because it feels like everything else is in a state of uncertainty and indecision. Election results are not final yet and COVID is returning even stronger and more aggressive. I feel part of the reason for this strong resurgence might be coming from the fact that many of us have gotten used to the reality and relaxed our guards a little. Regardless, the reality is that Illinois was reported to hit 10,000 COVID deaths yesterday, and a record-breaking 9,900 new COVID cases.

Well! November is almost here! Fall is upon us! Winter is just around the corner, and flu season is at its height! To complicate things, our State has started to see a resurgence of COVID.

Chicago (Region 11 on the mitigation map) has seen a 8.2% positivity rate, as of Monday. Friends, these are alarming numbers! The Governor has been updating the mitigation plans for regions that are seeing rapid increases in COVID infections. A Revised Mitigation Plan for our area goes into effect today, October 30, which has stricter rules for restaurants, bars and indoor dining (to read details on the mitigation plan click here).