Commissioner Mick Wright
One characteristic of governance in the COVID era is that it literally didn’t work. Parks and buildings were off limits to visitors. Schools were closed to students. The public was prevented from observing or participating in the legislative process. Even after the lifting of certain restrictions, basic public services could be still unavailable, spotty, unresponsive, inadequate or slow.
Shelby County students will return from spring break to a situation that remains dire for them.
Following two academic years defined by remote instruction, quarantines, cancelled activities, social distancing, obstructed faces, plexiglass barriers and taped-off water fountains, the learning gaps have grown larger.
This weekend we lose an hour for reasons that defy rational explanation.
We are made to reset our clocks twice a year despite the inconvenience and the toll it takes because we are conditioned to believe every aspect of our lives should be controlled by government fiat.
To be certain, no additional daylight is gained from this practice.
When I launched this Back to Normal series just three weeks ago, the mainstream political position remained one of extreme caution. It was still “any mask is better than no mask,” and anyone unmasked was responsible for “allowing COVID to linger in our midst.”
The following is part 2 in a series called Back to Normal and was written in advance of decisions this week by the CDC and Memphis Shelby County Schools reeling in the mask mania.
Playgrounds are shared community spaces designed to facilitate play, encourage connection, and promote physical and emotional health.
They are symbols of vitality and joy.
Authorities closed these outdoor recreation centers in response to COVID-19, just one of the many pandemic policies to disrupt the lives of our youngest citizens for no measurable benefit.
As we enter year three of pandemic paralysis, playgrounds can remind us of what we have lost and guide us back to normal life.