“Lesson for next time: bring tape.”
It is 11 AM on Saturday, November 14th, and Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace is attempting to affix a COVID-19 awareness poster to the front door of Kiammy’s Grocery + Deli at 76 Howard Avenue.
As part of a continued effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and promote awareness amid an alarming fall increase in cases, the City of Lancaster organized a canvassing effort on Saturday, November 14 to distribute informational flyers, posters, and door hangers to residents. Members of the community including city council members, firefighters and police officers dropped by the steps of city hall to collect items for distribution.
“Here we go again, right?” Mayor Sorace said to the socially-distanced, mask-wearing crowd of volunteers.
“I’ve said that this feels like deja-vu, because this is what we were talking about in April. We’re seeing the numbers and the case count rising, and that increase is particularly a concern for our city and our residents.” Sorace discussed the importance of supporting local businesses during the holiday season, but doing so in a safe way that follows all CDC guidelines. She stressed that this would be the only way to open city schools.
Dr. William Fife of Lancaster General Hospital spoke to volunteers about all of the things community members can do to slow the spread. Among them: staying indoors, only gathering outside in small groups, wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Adults can also download a new app called Covid Alert PA, which helps the Pennsylvania Department of Health track the spread of Coronavirus and informs individuals if they have come into close contact with a person who has tested positive.
“We’re not really good at predicting who’s going to get sick,” said Fife. “And I think that lulls people. They’re like Oh, well that person had Covid. It’s okay. It’s not going to be that big of a deal. But it is a big deal. Because people actually have to take care of people who are really sick, and there’s certainly people who die from it. And they’re not people who would otherwise die in the next year. They’re people who actually have a long life to live.”
At the time of his speaking, Lancaster General Hospital had a record 68 Covid patients, which was a 50% increase from the previous week.
And this is where the canvassing comes in.
Mayor Sorace, her husband Christian Recknaegle, city employee Wyatt Beheringer, and myself toured the Southeast end of the city, distributing informational materials about Covid and answering questions whenever they arose. We were just a small number of the over 45 volunteers spreading information throughout the city.
Reception from community members was extremely positive. Many were eager to stay informed in order to keep themselves and their families safe, and a number of residents expressed concern at the number of coronavirus patients at LGH.
That said, there were still many people walking without masks and entire businesses not practicing proper social distancing or mask wearing.
Towards the end of our walk I asked Mayor Sorace if she had any words for the McCaskey community. She told me, “Hang in there. We’re all tired of it. Hang in there, and do your best to help, and wear a mask and encourage your parents to do it too. That’s what I would say. It’s hard right now.”
Vidette 