12/12/2021 RELEASED FROM ISOLATION

 I had not been up very long when I got a call from the Niagara County Health Department,

asking me about any symptoms, etc.  A little later on I got this email:  

2021-12-12

Carolyn Simmons
17 Phelps Street, Lockport, NY, 14094

This notice is to inform you that based on your certification that you have met the clearance criteria set forth by the New York State Department of Health, you are released from mandatory isolation due SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as of 2021-12-12.

Accordingly, you are no longer under travel or activity restrictions outlined in the Niagara County Department of Health Isolation Order. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, this does not release you from any other restrictions contained in any Executive Order issued by the Governor of New York State, Niagara County officials, or any applicable New York State or local laws. It is expected that, though released from isolation, you will still adhere to these mandates and recommendations, as applicable to you, including physical distancing when possible and appropriate use of face coverings.

You should continue to practice proper hygiene protocols (e.g. hand washing, covering coughs) and should avoid prolonged, close contact with vulnerable people (e.g. people with compromised immune systems, underlying illness, or 70 years of age or older).

If you work in a healthcare setting, including a nursing home, you should speak with your employer regarding their recommendations for resuming direct patient care in accordance with the guidance from the New York State Department of Health.

You may share this letter with your employer or school as confirmation that you are no longer required to remain isolated.

We would like to thank you for your cooperation and efforts to protect the health of your community and ask that you continue to exercise care and caution.

Additional Information
• New York Forward Reopening Webpage: https://forward.ny.gov/
/> • DOH COVID-19 Webpage: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home
/> • CDC COVID-19 Webpage: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

This email makes it sound like I was already released, but I had been under the impression that my quarantine would end TONIGHT at midnight.   Anyways, I decided to spend the day at home and start to resume my normal life tomorrow.

I watched Freedom Churches eleven a.m. service online, it was very good.  I talked with Peggy on the phone.  She said there were a LOT of people at the Christmas Market yesterday and that when it was over, a lot of people stuck around to clean up and she was out of the church by seven p.m.  (the event officially ended at six p.m.).

For the most part, I relaxed at home all day.  I watched a mini-series documentary about a cult in Australia known as THE FAMILY.  Pretty awful stuff.  I was turning on my salt lamp in the family room when I noticed a small flashlight laying between the table and the wall.  I reached down to get it and then I tested the flashlight to see if it was working and that's when I saw something strange kind of behind the table and between the table and the wall.  I investigated further and found a pair of sandals that I had not seen in about five years.  I bought them right after I moved here in June of 2014 at a kind of expensive place called DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) and I think I paid sixty dollars for them.  It was the first pair of sandals I had purchased or worn in years because of my problem feet and huge bunions.  I loved them and was disappointed when they seemed to disappear and I emptied out my closet, hoping to find them.  There was a thick layer of dust on them!  They are still in brand new condition!  I wore them around the house for a little while and they are really comfortable.  

I called Marlene and I gave her the information I got from the travel agent the other day, and she and I decided to go ahead and book the day trip to the northern Ohio Amish area on March 12, 2022.

In the evening I watched THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD:  The William Still Story     It is excellent.  

Betty called and told me that she and Elaine did not make it to THE OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS in East Shelby.  Elaine and Al lost power in the storm and it was still out.  So, I guess Elaine did not feel OK about leaving Al at their house alone.  They have a fireplace, so they are able to have heat.  Betty went to the Hartland Stone Schoolhouse and picked up three ham dinners for the three of them.  Apparently, the schoolhouse was without power, too, but they were able to cook using their gas stoves.  She said the dinners were not all that good.