challenge for us," Vickers said. Vickers said people who won't wear a mask for their own protection should "think about worrying about infecting someone else." State Rep. Merika Coleman wants people to heed the warnings. Her extended family had come to Alabama from across the country for a funeral in March - a time when the state had few coronavirus cases - and used the time together to reminisce, laugh and weep. In the weeks and months that followed, 11 family members tested positive for COVID-19 and five - including three who had been at the gatherings - died from the illness. "Our family won't be the same. ... I don't want it to be anybody else. I don't want anybody else to feel the way I feel. I don't want anybody else to go through what my family has gone through," Coleman said. Coleman said she could not believe the large crowds she saw on Memorial Day from social media images from the
And don't forget to laugh. After they married, the Cobbs lived in several cities in Alabama - Rebecca Cobb listed them in order - and said. The couple lived in North Carolina when George Cobb served in the Army and they later moved to Oregon, where they lived for more than 20 years. George Cobb worked for Gilman Paint Co.
beach, and even in her own neighborhood. "What is bothering me right now is people are operating like COVID has been canceled, like it's not there anymore," she said. Kyra Porter, who lost three members of her east Alabama family to COVID- 19, has the same fears. Her father, sister and cousin all died within a week this spring. They were buried on the same day. Porter said her family was tuned in early to the risks of coronavirus, taking precautions and praying for the people of China. The virus found them anyway. When her father and sister went into the hospital, they were immediately put in isolation and the family never spoke to them again. They didn't even get a chance to say goodbye by phone. part," Porter said. "We never got a chance to hold their hand, say goodbye and say that we love them." In May, Alabama allowed businesses and restaurants to open. Harris said he thinks
an hour from the ocean and the first five years we lived there, we were in snow She and her husband moved back to Alabama to be near family as they got older. They have two children, Jim and the Rev. George Cobb, a Methodist minister who still pastors two churches, although he is retired. she said. Last year, they moved to the Village. Denise Puckett, a registered nurse who is manager of the assisted living facility, said the Cobbs
people, who were understandably craving a return to normal life, did not take enough precautions. He said the large upswing in cases comes a few weeks after Memorial Day gatherings and that mask- wearing continues to seem hit or miss. "We still get communication from the public every day from people who think we created some hoax for some nefarious purpose," Harris said. Dr. Don Williamson, a former state health officer who now heads the Alabama Hospital Association says hospitals are managing for now but the trends are worrying. "This is the first day you'll hear me say these words: I am now worried," Williamson said. "I am worried that the virus is now ahead of us and we aren't doing enough as individuals to contain it." Williamson said only about 16% of total ICU beds are empty, and in some areas like Montgomery "we essentially have none."
are wonderful people. The couple has lived through what most of us have only read in history books. The 1940s, which are often the end of World War II and the Holocaust. Americans lived on rationed groceries. Gas was 11 cents a gallon and the average cost of a new car was $850. The Cobbs are part of what are tough, they are good and they carry on.
The new coronavirus has taken a disproportionate toll on people of color, like the families of Porter and Coleman. African Americans make up 24% of Alabama's population but have accounted for 44% of the state's COVID-19 deaths. Vickers said multiple factors have contributed to the disparity, including preexisting conditions, access to primary health care, housing density and front- line occupations that don't allow working at home. Alabama's capital, Montgomery, has emerged as a hot spot for community transmission, prompting the mayor to issue an executive order requiring face masks in public crowds. The measure failed on a tie vote when it went before the Montgomery City Council as some members expressed concerns about the infringement on personal liberties. Porter and Coleman said people shouldn't think it can't happen to them. "It hit almost half of our family and took three of them out," Porter said. bias by kneeling during the national anthem, abandoning Trump on that debate. Yet some of Trump's supporters believe the nation is in a similar place to where it was during those heady days for liberals in 2015, with cultural trends and even court decisions papering over deep resentment and unease among many Americans. out right now that if you don't agree with what certain people want you to think, they attempt to shame and Beth Martin, co-founder of when you go to the voting booth, you're going to vote
NUMBER OF VIRUS CASES SPIKES IN ALABAMA
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COBBS CELEBRATE 80TH ANNIVERSARY
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ELECTION
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CONT... 4-29-2020 5-25-2020
THE CHEROKEE POST-HERALD - June 24, 2020 - A2
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