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As the halfway mark for this year begins to approach, I believe it is safe to say that 2020, so far, has not unfolded in the way anyone would expect.
The COVID-19 pandemic, along with the restrictions and regulations that were established to help slow its spread, basically stopped the current way of living for the country and gave way to a new normal, including social distancing, reduced capacity in stores and restaurants, wearing face masks and practically bathing in hand sanitizer.
While this new way of living has not been easy to adjust to, it has allowed Hoosiers to start going back out and visit nail and hair salons, stores and dine-in restaurants as long as they follow guidelines and take proper precaution.
As much as I am looking forward to things returning to as normal as possible in the coming months, in the back of my head I know things may never completely return to where they were before the COVID-19 outbreak and this new normal may be here to stay.
I am learning to adjust and accept this new way of living, including donning a Purdue University face mask whenever I am required to wear one, but I know for many, including myself, it will still take an adjustment period to get used to it.
One of the biggest things I am working on accepting is that my favorite part of summer, county fair season, is going to look and be completely different.
A lot of fairs, mainly the ones in June, either had to cancel, postpone or choose to do their fair virtually since large face-to-face gatherings are banned until the end of the month.
For those county fairs that take place in July, if Indiana is still meeting all the requirements of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s “Back on Track” plan and have reached Stage 5, they can host in-person events.
However, to ensure the safety of the 4-H youths, volunteers, judges and fairgoers, strict guidelines will be mandated, including youths and volunteers must wear some type of face covering in a show ring if social distancing can’t be achieved.
Although it is not going to be fun wearing a mask in 90-degree weather, I know that the rules are in place to keep 4-H members and the public safe.
Despite all the rules in place, I’m confident that 4-H members will still do their best to show the integrity of the association and display all of their hard work.