Rise in coronavirus cases shows continued need for social distancing

When the pandemic began, many people did what they could to stay safe. They followed recommended practices of social distancing, of refraining from travel, and limiting trips to only those which were essential. We were largely in lock-step. But not so much anymore. Since the Supreme Court ruling that the state’s safer-at-home order was thrown out, and many businesses opened back up and people started returning to their normal lives, we have seen a spike in the number of local coronavirus cases. On Wednesday, La Crosse County reported its highest single-day case count, with 15 new cases. We have now topped 100 local cases. Since Memorial Day, the number of local cases has risen sharply. Health experts blame the spike on the lack of a safer-at-home order. But just because our elected officials are telling us its ok to go out again, doesn’t mean its a good idea. If cases continue to rise, some stores risk having so many infected workers they can no longer stay open. The risk remains high, and continues to grow, and our behavior needs to reflect that. With our politicians unwilling to take steps to keep us safe, it is up to us to do so. And based on the latest numbers, we need to start working harder on that.