Over the weekend, I was listening to a couple of interviews with Dr. Anthony Fauci about the impending COVID-19 spike we are either currently seeing or will soon be seeing. He and other health officials have been saying that they were concerned with a spike in the fall and winter because as the weather cools off, people will begin to move their activities indoors. And he was very concerned that if you couple that with the fact that people are getting COVID-19 fatigue, the numbers of those infected are sure to skyrocket.

 

I have been very concerned that people are starting to get more relaxed in their precautions to protect themselves and others since we have been dealing with COVID for the past 8 months. I have seen it and realized that I have sometimes fallen into the trap as well. It is so hard to stay focused for so long, but it is so important for us to do it. As more people continue to get sick, and people start to be more and more complacent, we must keep our guard up to avoid getting sick. And it is going to be hard now that the calendar will soon turn from October to November.

 

If you are like me, you are already starting to think about how you are going to celebrate the upcoming holidays. Unfortunately, we will not be able to celebrate as we did last year. However, now is the time to think about and develop a plan of how you can celebrate… even if it takes you away from some of your most treasured traditions. Remember, traditions were something that at one time had only happened once. They only became a tradition after a few years of doing it. See if you can create a new tradition that will begin this year.

 

And remember… at some point, this pandemic will come to an end, even if we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Have faith and continue to do your part by following the guidelines set out by public health officials.  

 

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November 3 is now just two weeks away and I am looking forward to this election cycle finally being over. I know that a lot of attention has been given to the Presidential, Senatorial, and Congressional elections. But, so many of the decisions that impact our everyday lives are made by the people elected to offices that are down the ballot in the state, county, and city elections, as well as school board races. I know that many of you have already submitted your ballot, however, if you have not, take some time to research some of these races, as well as the propositions. You owe it to yourself and others to be an informed voter.

 

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One final note… I hope you will join us tonight at 7:00 pm for our conversation with the Consul General of Israel, Dr. Hillel Newman during our Virtual Town Hall. There is still time to RSVP and when you do, you will receive the Zoom log-in information. By joining you will hear from Israel’s senior-most diplomat in Southern California on a wide variety of topics including the recent Peace Accords between Israel and both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, how Israel has been handling its COVID-19 response, how Israel views our upcoming elections, the current political and social climate in Israel, the escalating situation between Armenia and Azarbaijan, and more.