Hello everyone,
Yesterday, I uttered these words for the first time – An illegal ice cream truck is in our neighborhood.
Someone did not get the memo or saw a chance for a quick buck. Worse yet, the offending vehicle had New Jersey tags in addition to an annoying PA system sending out the nursery tune, “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”
His foray was not productive in our land of cul-de-sacs. Not one kid was around during my early evening walk.
Such is the world we live in today. One of the happy memories of childhood is now illegal and for good reason.
As the widely distributed zip code map from the Delaware Division of Health shows, coronavirus has settled into Delaware, with more than 1,100 cases as of yesterday.
The folks updating this map of hotspots had to add another shade to show the concentration of cases around Newark and in an area bordered by the Delaware River that extends into Bear.
The river area includes distressed neighborhoods and comes as evidence suggests that lower-income communities of color have been hit hard by COVID-19.
In the meantime, red areas of the map that denote a sizable number of cases are beginning to cover much of the state.
The map also reminds us that it is no time to wander down the aisles of a big box home improvement store, simply to get out of the house.
For the sake of employees, get in, get out and keep your distance.
As reported in today’s lead post, too many people are getting out of the house in Delaware based on an analysis of cell phone traffic.
By contrast, areas that have been able to flatten the curve, have seen a far greater reduction in trips.
That’s enough nagging for the day. On the plus side, Acme supermarkets are setting a good example these days.
Adopting the practices learned out west by its parent Albertsons, one-way aisles, blue dots and other social distancing tools are widely used. All staff members were wearing protective masks during a recent visit.
Stay safe. The final newsletter for the week returns tomorrow. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer
