It seems I have to catch up on a few things and quickly mention others, so let’s start:
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| Your author in an Ivan Gonzalez creation |
As you may know, my good friend for more than 30 years, Ivan Gonzalez, came down with and was really fighting COVID-19 hard. Ivan has returned home, is feeling much better as he continues his recovery, and you can read about his fight and initial release from the hospital in the Buffalo News. It is a goddamn pleasure to read his social media posts again, and even better to see he, his wife Colleen Flaherty Gonzalez and sons at their house or walking past ours in the neighborhood.
In a DM to me shortly after his return home and in a social media post earlier today, Thursday, June 25, Ivan clearly and sharply advocated for both concern of the health of the medical professionals who saved his life and continue to work to save and treat others, and to keep more people alive and healthy in general, for people to keep wearing face masks, practice social distancing and take any other precautions. It is damn annoying that Gonzalez had to state this again and that they still seem quaint; wear fucking face masks, socially distance yourself from others and be safe.
If you want to help Gonzalez continue his recovery, support a local artist (Ivan, of course) and get something cool to wear, he has t-shirts representing areas of the City of Buffalo for sale. The link to Gonzalez’s online store is https://buffalocitylimits.square.site, and you can see one of the shirts, a holiday gift from my lovely wife and photographer Val Dunne, in the selfie accompanying this entry. They’re very cool, and Gonzalez deserves to be able to retire to a life of art, husbandry of sorts and parenthood, as well as forming his own Minor Threat.
I agree wholeheartedly with Gonzalez’s efforts to advance face mask wearing and other activities to keep people healthy, and I remain worried that the “reopening” of Buffalo, Erie County and New York State are moving too fast. It so absolutely sucks that too many businesses, so many of them small businesses, cannot either open up at all or fully, but sadly, I do not have confidence in people following face mask, social distancing and other activities to keep people as safe as possible. That so many people still whine and mewl about wearing masks, as if placing one on your face over your mouth and nose takes such a herculean effort or is a violation of Constitutional rights, is abhorrent. That too many people believe in the already proven wrong/lies of conspiracy theories that masks can kill you due to carbon dioxide issues and are breeding grounds for illnesses and killer germs, is unspeakably bad. There are an extremely limited number of illnesses/physical conditions that allow for face mask exemptions, and it certainly appears that medical professionals have been able to wear masks for years and years without killing themselves.
While too many people here in Buffalo/WNY are not following or believing in masks, social distancing, etc., enough of them are and we took these precautions early and seriously that New York State has fallen to be one of the lower states for COVID-19 incidence and deaths. Sadly, but also not overly surprising, states such as Florida, Arizona, Texas and even California, which allegedly reopened to varying degrees of caution, have all spiked and are now seeing scary records of coronbovilius incidence. There is no reason to let up on the COVID-19 response gas pedal, so simply, let’s not.
I have not read or heard any comprehensive news reports on how the coronavirus crisis affected voting on Primary Day, June 23 (coincidentally, Val and my 18th wedding anniversary). Anecdotally, it appears many more people voted by absentee ballot in the districts I live in, represent and walk through, work and conduct business in; Val and I mailed in absentee ballots this electoral cycle.
The County of Erie officially returns to 100 percent public operations (with no doubt a couple of exceptions) Monday, June 29. As most readers here know, I work for the Erie County Department of Social Services, and have been reporting to the Rath Building and working throughout the COViD-19 crisis, involving office/financial responsibilities, clients and other public contact and with other departments/employees. I am a bit skeptical that we are 100 percent prepared to return to complete functions, particularly things such as the transportation of employees and clients. The NFTA is still working on limited capacity and with alleged limitations to necessary workers and the practice of social distancing in buses and metro cars. I won’t kid you, I’ve been happy that there hasn’t been the more than 1,000 workers in the Rath Building every day; those of us who have worked throughout the COVID-19 crisis have formed bonds, a certain camaraderie and are used to following strict rules of wearing face masks at all times and social distancing, as well as cleaning work areas. This doesn’t mean that things will go to hell and that workers and the public won’t follow best practices to fight the coronavirus, but let’s say I’m less confident when I see how bad some states have done. I realize that Buffalo, Erie County and New York State have done better than many areas, but there are definitely idiots and conspiracy theorists, as well as a certain uneducated population, who I don’t trust to do the right thing. Let’s hope I’m wrong and that we do all we can to beat or at least limit the spread of COVID-19.New York State Reopening, Spikes and a County Returns toi Work
