When kids returned to in-person schooling last month, many parents and health officials were watching closely to see exactly how things would play out. While there have been exposures and quarantining of staff and students at times, things have (knock on wood), gone pretty well so far.

At the college level, we reported in Tuesday’s paper that SUNY Sullivan has had very few positive cases and no tranmission on campus to date, according to President Jay Quaintance. That is no small feat, and similar to what’s going on at our local school districts, a testament to the hard work and dedication of public health officials, school administration, teachers and school employees, bus drivers, as well as parents educating their children on protecting themselves against the virus.

Many people point to the everyday tasks that these individuals had even before the pandemic, but the crisis had added a whole level of work and time to everyone’s plate, constantly having to sanitize everything that people have come in contact with.

We believe all of these individuals should be commended for their roles in keeping our children safe. You are unsung heroes!

More clinics

The county recently announced additional vaccine clinics. They’re as follows ...

• October 12 - Crawford Public Library, Prince Street, Monticello - 1-4 p.m. (Janssen single dose)

• October 13 - Sullivan County Public Health Services, 50 Community Lane, Liberty - 2-6 p.m. (Pfizer first dose)

• October 20 - Sullivan County Public Health Services, 50 Community Lane, Liberty - 2-6 p.m. (Pfizer first dose)

• October 27 - Sullivan County Public Health Services, 50 Community Lane, Liberty - 2-6 p.m. (Pfizer first dose)

All clinics will accept people over 18. The Pfizer clinics can also serve 12-17-year-olds (parental presence and consent are required). Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registration is recommended in order to be guaranteed a shot.

Register at https://sullivanny.us/Departments/Publichealth/COVIDvaccines/clinics.

These clinics are vital to increasing the number of vaccinated residents in our county. While public health employees deserve great praise for their continued work, we also want to commend all of the volunteers who have worked tirelessly at clinics throughout the pandemic.

We know quite a few who are retired. These volunteers could be sitting back and taking it easy, but instead chose to put themselves out there to help their peers.

Thank you for giving your time!