Living under a new normal
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
In the' unprecedented
times we find ourselves
in during the outbreak of
COVID-19 (coronavi
rus), our community and
organizations have taken
precautions to keep us all
safe and, hopefully, free
of this illness. In response
to federal, state and local
regulations, we are encour
aged to go about our daily
activities under a “new
normal.” Listed below are
some of the areas that are
new to us.
Education
As we may all be
aware, the WSFCS system
has cancelled school for
at least two weeks. This
means school is not in ses
sion. Online instruction
is expected to begin on
Thursday, March 19. Par
ents are encouraged to ac
cess Powerschool to keep
abreast of assignments and
pressing announcements.
In addition, parents
whose children do not
have online access or de
vices can contact Spec
trum. Spectrum will make
its services available for
free for 60' days to house
hold with K-12 and/or col
lege students who don’t al
ready have Internet service
through the company. To
enroll in the program, call
1-844-488-8395. Installa
tion fees will be waived for
new student households.
A CNN report men
tioned some of the ways
that “regular parents” can
homeschool their kids.
Some of the key points
were:
*Recognize home-
school is not school.
The most important
caveat about temporary
homeschooling is that it
simply isn’t school. Kids
accustomed to the school
environment won’t be as
focused. Lessons won’t
be as professional as the
ones they’re used to get
ting. And since local gov
ernments are encouraging
everyone to minimize in
teractions with others, so
cialization will be tough.
Let kids be a part of the
decision-making.
*Many schools and
school districts have set up
online learning platforms
or sent kids home with
packets of schoolwork to
complete. These assign
ments are non-negotiable.
Beyond these require ¬
ments, however, parents
can give their children a
say in what else they’ll
learn.
*Make a schedule.
Once you and your
children have identified
the subjects they will
study, make a schedule
and display it prominently
so everyone in the family
knows what’s coming and
when it’s over. Most kids
work off a schedule in
their classrooms, so recre
ating something similar at
home can ease the transi
tion to a different learning
environment for the fore
seeable future.
*Build in recess.
All traditional school
programs incorporate
some sort of recess or out
door time, and a home-
school schedule should be
no different.
Please see https://www.
cnn.com/2020/03/16/
health/homeschooling-
during-coronavirus-well-
ness/index.html for the full
article.
N.C. District, Supe
rior court cases
Most cases in North
Carolina and district and
superior courts will be
postponed, most for at
least 30 days amid con
cerns about the coronavi
rus.
North Carolina Chief
Justice Cheri Beasley an
nounced several directives
Friday morning affect
ing the operation of the
state’s court system aimed
at protecting public safety
during the COVID-19 out
break.
“We must be proactive
in taking steps to prioritize
the health and safety of our
fellow North Carolinians
while also maintaining the
integrity of our judicial
system,” Beasley said in
a media release. “Today’s
order will allow us to dras
tically reduce the exposure
caused by crowded ses
sions of court, which often
bring hundreds of people
at a time into our court-
houses.”
Although the superior
courts and district courts
remain open, effective
Monday, March 16, supe
rior court and district court
proceedings have been re
scheduled for at least 30
days, with some excep
tions.
The emergency direc
tive does not apply to any
proceeding in which a jury
has already been empan
eled or to any grand juries
already empaneled.
It also does not prohib
it a judge or other judicial
officer from exercising any
in chambers or ex parte ju
risdiction conferred by law
upon that judge or judicial
officer, as provided by law.
Additionally, the su
perior courts and district
courts are encouraged to
Photos by Tevin Stinson
Retailers are having trouble keeping shelves stocked amid the CO VID-19 scare.
liberally grant additional
accommodations to par
ties, witnesses, attorneys,
and others with business
before the courts who are
at high risk of severe ill
ness from COVID-19.
Government
Forsyth County Gov
ernment remains open,
but we strongly encourage
citizens to call in advance
to determine if their needs
can be met by phone,
email, mail or online ser
vices. This is particularly
important because a num
ber of county employ
ees will be working from
home in order to facilitate
social distancing.
Essential services, in
cluding law enforcement,
fire, EMS, 911, and Public
Health, will continue as
usual.
Forsyth County will as
sess operations on a daily
basis to determine if future
modifications are needed.
Restaurants
As of Tuesday, March
17, at 5 p.m., Gov. Roy
Cooper ordered all restau
rants to close their dining
rooms. This order excludes
takeout and delivery ser
vices. Residents may still
order takeout or drive thru
from participating restau
rants. In addition, delivery
services like Uber Eats and
Door Dash are still operat
ing under normal business
practices (for now). Some
area restaurants have cho
sen to close completely, so
it is advisable that you call
ahead to determine if they
are open.
Shopping
Shopping will also take
a big hit during this out
break. Stores are cutting
their hours and supplies
continue to dwindle. All
24-hour Walmart stores
in our community have
new store hours. They will
open at 6 a.m. and close at
11 p.m. In addition, other
stores like Publix and
Harris Teeter will close
at 8 p.m. These modified
hours have been changed
until further notice. As of
Wednesday, Hanes Mall’s
statement says their hours
will remain the same.
The Chronicle spoke
with a representative at
the Walmart on University
Parkway who said, “We
are restocking all day ev
ery day. Every couple of
days we get a truck. So it’s
not that the stores aren’t
restocking, but the items
are getting gone as we put
them on the shelves.” She
suggested that custom
ers call or just show up to
check on the availability of
items.
Entertainment
With federal and state
guidelines limiting the
number of people that can
convene in a particular
area, movie theaters have
come up with their own
remedies to help curtail the
spread of COVID-19. On
The Grand 18’s website,
it’s stated that they will
only sell out 50% of the
theater to help promote so
cial distancing. The AMC
Hanes 12 on Hanes Mall
Blvd, is closed until gov
ernment regulations allow
reopening.
For book lovers, Book
marks is adopting curbside
service during the hours
of 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Call
336-747-1471 ext. 1000 to
place an order or visit their
website at www.book-
marksnc.org. Free ship
ping is also available on all
orders over $25.
Mental Health
We should remember
that social distancing is
not the same as mental iso
lation. While physical iso
lation is how we will beat
COVID-19, we must be
just as committed to stay
connected to our loved
ones. The CDC released
the following statement (in
part) on managing anxiety
and stress:
The outbreak of coro
navirus disease 2019 (CO-
VID-19) may be stressful
for people. Fear and anxi
ety about a disease can be
overwhelming and cause
strong emotions in adults
and children. Coping with
stress will make you, the
people you care about, and
your community stronger.
Everyone reacts dif
ferently to stressful situ
ations. How you respond
to the outbreak can depend
on your background, the
things that make you dif
ferent from other people,
and the community you
live in.
People who may re
spond more strongly to the
stress of a crisis include:
*Older people and peo
ple with chronic diseases
who are at higher risk for
COVID-19
♦Children and teens
“"People who are help
ing with the response to
COVID-19, like doctors
and other health care pro
viders, or first responders
“"People who have
mental health conditions
including problems with
substance use
Stress during an infec
tious disease outbreak can
include:
*Fear and worry about
your own health and the
health of your loved ones
*Changes in sleep or
eating patterns
“"Difficulty sleeping or
concentrating
*Worsening of chronic
health problems
See COVID-19 on A2
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