Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com September 16, 2020 Read Desert MESSENGER ONLINE @ www.DesertMessengerOnline.com "Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." ~Mattie Stepanek DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 P�������� ����� � ����� 1st & 3rd Wednesday Sept. thru May with Special Summer Editions June, July & August OWNER/EDITOR/PUBLISHER GRAPHIC DESIGN/ AP AR MARKETING EXECUTIVE/CLASSIFIEDS Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Jackie Deal CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE DESIGN Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.MyQuartzsite.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2020 © Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear DEADLINE : WED. SEPT. 30 TH for Oct. 7 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com COVID-19 Updates September 15, 2020- There are a total of 209,209 confi rmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 5,344 coronavirus-related deaths accord- ing to the AZDHS numbers Tuesday morning. The La Paz County Health Depart- ment currently has a total of 527con- fi rmed cases with 15 deaths. Please do your part and stay home when you do not feel well! If you are experiencing a change in how you feel and get tested, please stay home until you receive the test results. • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitiz- er. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue. Consider wearing cloth face coverings, if it can be safe- ly managed, in public settings where other physical distancing measures are diffi cult to maintain. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. • If you are at higher risk for severe illness, you should avoid attend- ing congregate settings. People at higher risk for severe illness include adults 65 or older and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions. For more information on La Paz County and the state, please visit the ADHS coronavirus website at www.azdhs.gov/coronavirus, the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/COV- ID19 , the La Paz County Health De- partment website at https://www. lpchd.com/ and the Facebook page @LaPazCounty.HealthDepartment This is the time of year I normally write about our excitement of see- ing our snowbird friends return- ing. This year will undoubtably be different than previous years; our Canadian friends may not be able to return to southern Arizona this season, depending what our two governments decide. But folks are feeling more ready to travel. According to this week's Destina- tion Analyst report, "Pessimism still outweighs optimism about the pan- demic's course in America, but has stabilized over the last three weeks. Health concerns, while strong, re- main the lowest they have been dur- ing the pandemic. This lessening of fear has translated to travel. The average rating of travel activities as "unsafe" continued to fall this week to the lowest levels they have been since March 15. Over 30.0% of American travelers are confi dent they can travel safely in the current environment, another 24.0% feel at least somewhat confi dent. 78.3% report they have at least tentative trip plans. The percent of those in a "ready to travel" mindset is at a pandemic-period high. However, strict and thorough practice and enforcement of pan- demic related safety measures made these travelers feel safer. Visible mask wearing and social distancing among the public made travelers feel they could keep safe from CO- VID-19 during their trips. This is an opportunity for lo- cal businesses to work together to improve safety perceptions in Quartzsite. Last week, Quartzsite Chamber & Tourism hosted a virtu- al meeting of local business owners, showground operators, and non- profi ts to discuss plans on reopen- ing Quartzsite safely. I've received some wonderful feedback from the ideas shared. Look forward to some exciting news! A friend recently told me her "crys- tal ball is broken," so she couldn't foresee what the future will bring regarding the upcoming season. I think I'll start using that phrase, too! Remember "Build it and they will come?" Well, Quartzsite has built a good reputation for not only our amazing fl ea markets and shows. Quartzsite is one of the most RV friendly communities in the US. In addition there's a thousand miles of off-road trails, scenic overlooks, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, ac- commodating vendors and shop owners, smiling customer service clerks- even when stressed with the infl ux of visitors- and an average of 307 sunny days per year. Just 17 miles from the Colorado River, folks can drive a little and enjoy the sweep- ing views of the river. Camping in RV Parks or out in the Sonoran Desert, there is plenty of opportunity to so- cial distance. We do encourage folks to be practice social distancing while visiting our businesses, also. Masks are not required by Town Hall, but encouraged at many local business- es. I encourage everyone to stay safe and Mask Up Arizona! QUARTZSITE ROCKS!

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