@Anonymous @Mika8 @Nicole274
Thanks for the update, @Nicole274 . This is such a complex situation, and one primary reason our local health department persists in forbidding us to host non-essential-worker guests. At potential risk from unsafe behaviors are not only the host family members but the entire community. Our local economy is heavily tourist-dependent but remaining only partially open for the time being is the choice made by the health authorities, of community life and health over monetary gain. Mental health is tied up in this too; our shopkeepers, restaurants, health care workers, maintenance people, literally everyone being stressed over the fear of becoming infected by chance, and potentially infecting our community members, who we trust to also keep us safe. Over time this will sort itself out, we know that. Visitors with a vaccine pass would be so welcome, however this situation is far from resolved in this society of individuals' privacy rights having legal preference over the rest of society. This is a complex legal issue. In my lifetime we have dealt with Polio, Tuberculosis, Smallpox, HIV, SARS, MERS, Lyme, Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pox, Ebola, and many more. I am personally grateful for vaccines for Yellow Fever, Hepatitis, Tetanus, Smallpox, Whooping Cough, Diphtheria, which plagued my parents and theirs. There are many others that are not "in our face" if we don't travel. Meanwhile, we do what we must do, learn what we can, support each other, and minimize risk. I wish health, longevity, and joy to all of us here. We'll get to the other side of this, together!