Do Not Panic by —Jim Shepherd –Editor

Despite near-record runs on groceries, pharmaceuticals and paper products, this country is not about to revert to the stone age.

We’ve seen ridiculous runs on food, beverages, paper, and, yes, even ammunition, but there is no Red Dawn horde marching inexorably across the hills and valleys, determined to stomp us all into submission. We are dealing with a viral infection, not Aliens.

Grocery stores across the country are adjusting business hours because of customers’ response to public health precautions. As you can see in the meat (above) and potato (below) sections of this Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Public, there were runs on things other than paper and hand sanitizers. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photos

But you would have been hard-pressed to have known that had you been out and about Friday as the closures, dismissals, postponements and other announcements followed President Trump’s declaration of an official State of Emergency.

Unlike the announcements from actors paying presidents in innumerable movies, this wasn’t a particularly well-delivered address, complete with accompanying inspirational music.

It was, however, a real-live president fumbling through the announcement that he was officially taking an action that cut some more layers of the unmeasurably deep bureaucratic red tape associated with reacting to any emergency. It wasn’t smooth, but it was necessary.

What concerns many of us more are the states and municipalities that look to this as an opportunity to enact onerous regulations that are otherwise reserved for dire emergencies. This is a pandemic, but it’s not to be viewed with the same urgency as an advancing wildfire, tornado, hurricane or other natural disaster.

The actions aren’t designed to stop Coronavirus-19. They’re designed to lessen the impact of what is an inevitable spread of an apparently very-contagious virus.

So take a deep breath. And exhale -but not on someone else, please.

We’re adjusting in a couple of ways. First, the calendar is being replaced -temporarily- with announcements of closures, cancellations and postponements. It’s not our endorsement of the assessments regarding the coronavirus, it’s our recognition that there are far more events in our world that have been cancelled or postponed than are going as-planned, at least over the next few weeks.

When we go back to normal, we’ll go back to the calendar.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to keep you updated with things that are happening in the outdoors, taking time to write some features that have previously gotten pushed to the back-burner, and embracing the opportunity to have a little quiet time.

And, as always, we’re non-contagious.

We’ll keep you posted.

—Jim Shepherd