Betsy's Blog

Omicron is raging! I am sick and tired of Covid. Fourteen days ago, it arrived in my household and it is not over yet. My son is still sick as a dog. He tried to return to his job, but blacked out and almost fainted. His boss sent him home saying he doesn’t want sick employees showing up. However, it was Human Resources who called him up and told him it was time for him to return to work. New Year was a spreader event around the world. As a result, Covid has also affected my public school teaching job. Due to my exposure to a family member living in my home, I had to quarantine for five days. During this time, I was required to get two negative Covid tests with the results sent to my Principal. Then, my school district decided to take a five-day “pause” for staff and students. The concept was to give time for teachers and students to heal while the school germs disappeared. However, it has been thwarted by the new variant, Omicron. So we will see what happens when school resumes....

       “Would you like a face mask?” I asked this question over a hundred times as a volunteer usher at “The Christmas Carol” performance in Las Vegas. I shivered in my winter coat handing out black face masks to the patrons. Recently, the CDC announced that cloth face masks are useless, so I bought black KN95 masks. Two paid ushers stood with me checking vaccination cards as the patrons of the arts arrived. It was surprising how many forgot their driver's license or vaccination card as proof of ID. Then they had to call home to ask a family member to email them their vaccinations. The ‘Tiny Tim’ actor arrived with his mom at the backstage Smith Center entrance. Newly vaccinated children proudly showed their immunization cards with a smile. They were all dressed up in red and green. In the lobby, there were expensive shirts for sale with holiday cheer, ‘Bah Humbug’ and ‘Scrooge & Marley.’  The theater is a blast to the past with marble floors and private r...