Fielder's Choice

A year ago this week one of the top headlines on the front page of The South Reporter read, "Coronavirus pandemic."

Mississippi had confirmed its first 12 cases as of Monday of that week, March 16, 2020.

The late Hugh Hollowell, then emergency management coordinator for Marshall County, had briefed the board of supervisors and asked for a proclamation of a local emergency so preparations could be put in place for a possible outbreak.

A town meeting was held at Holly Springs City hall with Dr. Kenneth Williams and others from Alliance HealthCare System.

The headlines just kept coming.

The next week, March 26, they read, "City of Holly Springs adopts stay-at-home order" and "Schools utilize remote learning and "Changes ongoing for offices, activities."

My youngest daughter Erin posted a picture last week on social media of herself and best friend Sonni in the back seat of our Jeep as we headed to the beach for spring break. They were smiling huge smiles. It was their senior year of high school spring break.

Along with the post last week, Erin wrote, "Who knew a few days later that everything would shut down and we would never go back to high school?"

It was a March through May experience that was very, very tough on the Class of 2020 ­ no matter the high school ­ but I'm sure it will prove to make them better and stronger individuals and leaders. It will certainly be a story that will never leave their memory banks.

I recall being on spring break vacation and watching the SEC Basketball Tournament when it ended abruptly due to COVID-19.

I didn't know what to expect at the time. No one did.

I figured surely we'd be back to normal in a few weeks. I was wrong ­ way wrong.

An April 30 headline in The South Reporter, with an article written by Lee Eric Smith, was headlined, "Nothing is normal ­ hospital soldiers ahead against COVID-19."

In May, I attended Erin's graduation on the football at Marshall Academy. It was five grads at a time ­ two guests only for each grad ­ and social distancing. It was strange, really strange, but at least it was some sort of graduation.

Other area schools followed all COVID-19 guidelines as far as their graduations, too.

And still, there was hope ­ hope that this would all be behind us soon by the end of summer.

But it only got worse and worse and worse.

Each week, on the top left side of The South Reporter, we included the Mississippi Department of Health's report on the number of cases and deaths in Marshall County, nearby counties and Mississippi as a whole.

That news brief continues today. Thank goodness, the numbers have drastically decreased.

Is there light at the end of this tunnel? It appears so.

But don't ease up on just yet on the mask wearing and other precautions, and most of all, get vaccinated.