MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Slowly but surely, Memphis and Shelby County seem to be regaining some sense of normalcy from the coronavirus pandemic. Vaccines are being administered at a brisk pace, restaurants that have suffered most over the past year are showing life – and COVID cases appear to be leveling off.
Now, health officials are ready to issue new rules to ease restrictions even more. How relaxed will they be? Well, how about returning to buffet lines at restaurants, dancing at local clubs and bars – even larger crowds at sporting events.
Officials even floated the notion of eliminating the mask mandate in Shelby County – possibly by mid-May - although that one might require more thought.
The overall message is we are finally digging out from the painful and costly effects caused by the pandemic. We are doing it because, for the most part, Memphians followed the science. We wore the masks. We kept our distance from others. And, with some exceptions, we are getting those shots in the arm.
But with all due respect to the experts, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The virus is still out there, and precautions remain necessary.
Still, the light is finally visible at the end of this dark and dreary tunnel. We are getting back to some normalcy, and we should congratulate ourselves for taking the necessary steps to get – to this point. And that’s my point of view.