Everywhere I go it seems COVID-19 follows.

I guess I thought coming to Covington would be a whole new world in more ways than one.

How naive. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking.

As I’ve written before, I hail from Marshall County, Ala. If you’ve never heard of it, try typing it into the Google search bar now and you’ll see it’s been one of the nation’s leading COVID-19 hotspots since April.  

Unfortunately, the county has been in the news again for the same issue.

AL.com reported Kathy Woodruff, chief nursing officer at the local hospital, saying, “Right now in Marshall County, it is out of control,” after the number of new cases has rapidly risen over the last few weeks.

Before our weekend edition deadline, the county had 1,866 total confirmed cases, practically doubling the count in Newton. For perspective, there are about 10,000 fewer people there than in Newton.

It seems like a real problem, right? Meanwhile, I heard the fair was in town this week and open for business. 

While I hoped it was only a Marshall County problem, if you’ll notice, the new case numbers continue to rise just about everywhere you look. Even in Newton County.

Some may argue that the latest surge of new cases is because stay-at-home orders have ceased and life as we know it is nearing its return to normalcy.

I might suggest it’s because we’ve developed a lax attitude toward the health guidelines currently in place.

We need to resume social distancing and handwashing habits as if the pandemic just began. We need to be mindful of the health of others and wear a face covering when necessary.

I can’t tell you I’ve worn a mask as often as I should. I can’t tell you that I’ve stayed exactly six feet apart from my peers. But I’ve tried my best to do my part, and I will continue to do so.

I think you should, too.

Taylor Beck is the editor and publisher of The Covington News. He can be reached at tbeck@covnews.com.