Reopening Texarkana

T E X A R K A N A M O N T H LY

COLUMN BY SONJA YATES HUBBARD BUSINESS & POLITICS

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H OW T O R E O P E N T E X A R K A N A

T E X A R K A N A M O N T H LY

BUSINESS & POLITICS

H OW D O WE R E O P E N . . .

with Patience, Adaptability and Resilience

B Y S O N J A Y A T E S H U B B A R D

is a thought I’ve had countless times since mid-March. As restrictions began to loosen recently, I’ve experienced excitement yet trepidation and debated what ‘back to normal’ even is, much less, how and when will we get there. My opinions on the impact of this pandemic are different today than they were in March. With passing regard to COVID-19, I attended a large conference in Ft. Worth and then, along with my husband, traveled out of town for a vacation with my daughter who lives in NewYork City. While on vacation NYC essentially shut down, as well as the world. My thinking on where we were and where we were going morphed through this Twilight Zone like dream and is still ever changing as we continue to learn more daily. Mid-March was shocking. I watched the news with deep empathy and stress, but also with distance. The rise of confirmed cases in places like Washington state, New York, and California were tragic, but also far from my everyday life. Until they weren’t. When our community shut down on March 21, it all suddenly became far more personal. Still, I had naïve expectations to be ‘back to normal’ in just a few weeks. Then came the horrors of so many deaths, medical facilities overwhelmed, and economic devastation rivaling the Great ‘I CAN’T WAIT TO GET BACK TO NORMAL’

Texarkana Monthly columnists are a group of local influencers whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.

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Texarkana has an unwavering spirit that will guide our community through these

uncertain times. ” —AR-TX REDI President & CEO, Rob Sitterley

Depression. On the positive side, I have been amazed and hold unending respect for the skill, loyalty and tenacity of our first responders, front line and essential workers who kept things going while we didn’t. I learned many of the most valuable jobs are the ones we take for granted. Visualize a community without sanitation services for six weeks! These events have altered my opinion of where we are and where we are going. Today, I debate the eternally optimistic Sonja who thinks we can have an ‘almost normal’ late summer versus the pragmatic Sonja who knows our world is forever changed. I’m uncertain about much, but I do know we will not remain here. This too shall pass, so how do we reopen? We will do it just like we’ve always done as a society, country,

and species…with amazing adaptability and resilience. The harder part will be accepting that to get there will also require patience. “As we’ve lived through this public health crisis the past seven weeks, we’ve had ebbs and flows and the situation has changed almost daily,” said Bowie County Health Authority Dr. Matt Young. “We’re constantly reading through protocols and guidelines, seeking to understand the latest executive orders, working with nearby jurisdictions, looking at the newest sets of >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6

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