Madison Messenger - June 14th, 2020

PAGE 6 - MADISON MESSENGER - June 14, 2020
editorial
www.madisonmessengernews.com
COVID-19 is still here and it is still dangerous
Stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions across the United case rate, and second highest fatality
rate when compared to open forum
virus if they do happen to be in
unknowingly spreading the
States prevented approximately 60 million COVID-19 infections,
according to a study released this week in the scientific journal, the other nine counties.
the pre-symptomatic stage.
“Nature.” The study shows that the shutdowns in March and April Even if you subtract inmates by Chris Cook
There is a high risk of a second
wave of infections occurring
were effective at slowing the spread of COVID-19 at a time when out of the numbers to provide an
testing was not widely available. The actions and sacrifices of
Ohioans saved lives during this unprecedented time.
When I hear people say COVID-19 hasn’t been a big deal, I take
it as a compliment to public health. It means we are doing our job
well. This virus is a big deal. The majority of the public listened to
what we have been saying and took it seriously. These actions directly
resulted in lower infection rates.
It is important to compare Madison County to other similar Ohio
counties to get an idea of how the virus is spreading. There are nine
rural counties in Ohio that are within 10 percent of the population
total of Madison County. This results in a 10-county cohort that has
a similar population and rural profile. Of the 10 counties, only
Madison has state correctional facilities. After adjusting for incarcerated
individuals to provide a better comparison, Madison County
currently has the second highest number of cases, second highest
apples-to-apples comparison to the other counties,
Madison is still getting hit harder by COVID-19 than
all of the other comparison counties except for one.
Madison County’s current general population fatality
rate of 5 percent is well above the Centers for Disease
Control’s goal of 1 percent to 2 percent. COVID-19 is
still here and it is still dangerous.
With testing more widely available, public health is
working around the clock to conduct interviews and isolation
of COVID-19 patients. Removing sick people from
the general population is one of the most effective tools
used by public health. Anyone who had close, extended
contact with a sick person up to two days before he or
she had symptoms could have been exposed to the virus.
Every person should wear a facial covering to prevent
if individuals suddenly resume normal activities and
gatherings. Madison County Public Health urges everyone
to follow public health precautions such as social
distancing, frequent hand washing, and wearing facial
coverings. These efforts are proven to slow the spread
of the virus. Slower spread will likely lead to more economic
openings. It is not known if people who were sick
once with COVID-19 can get sick again or if they will
build immunity to the virus. It is also unknown exactly
how long a person can spread the virus to others after
they begin feeling better. COVID-19 is being studied
worldwide every day to help health experts answer
these important questions.
Chris Cook is Madison County’s health commissioner.
Watch ‘Shirley’ for some unsettling entertainment
Shirley Jackson’s novels and short stories create a sense of unease.
Her writing style shapes an atmosphere that is both dreamlike
and dreadful, maintaining its grip on the reader’s psyche well
after the last page is turned.
To avid fans, there is no denying how spellbinding Jackson’s
work can be, but to avid cinephiles the same cannot be said for most
theatrical interpretations of her creations. For more than half a century,
writers and directors have tried to bring Jackson’s poetically
frightening stories to life on screen. Seldom have they hit the mark.
The latest attempt, however, comes the closest to success because
it plays as fast and loose with reality as Jackson does in her novels.
And considering the film is also a fast and loose interpretation of her
life, I would say that is fitting for the “Queen of Gothic Horror.”
At least 10 minutes pass in the film “Shirley” before we meet
Shirley. Her introduction comes when her piece, “The Lottery,”
makes a big impression.
Unlike most who read the piece, which was published in the New
Yorker in 1948, Rose Nesler (played by Odessa Young) does not consider
it a chilling abomination but rather an awakening. She is
thrilled by this discovery, gushing to her husband, Fred (Logan Lerman),
about this talented woman who is unafraid to plumb the
depths of human depravity.
Flush with the knowledge that she will soon be meeting the actual
person—Fred was recently hired to assist Shirley’s professor
husband, Stanley, and they are on their way to their Vermont home
when the film begins—Rose’s bloom only grows as she watches in
real-time as her new favorite author (portrayed superbly by Elisabeth
Moss) volleys with the masses at a social gathering.
When the opportunity for a one-on-one interaction occurs, Rose
seizes the moment but is taken aback by Shirley’s blunt demeanor
and withering barbs about her hidden pregnancy and shotgun marriage.
After Stanley tries to explain away his wife’s demeanor, Rose
tries again to connect with the author but is verbally rebuffed.
Calling Shirley a monster, Rose begs her husband to find a new
place to stay, but Fred believes his career will only be advanced
through the goodwill of Stanley’s word. With nothing to do, and via
the prompting of Stanley, Rose begins to oversee Shirley’s care as
the author battles ailing health, mental illness and the high expectations
of a new novel.
Over the course of the film, the two women begin to bond over
societal pressures and philandering husbands and then obsess
about the mysterious case of a local college student who disap-
peared months ago. As they
grow closer, their psyches begin
to merge, leaving the viewer
wondering if Rose is a figment of
Shirley’s imagination, a construct
of the writing process, a version of her younger
self, or the missing woman who may have had a relationship
with the cheating professor.
Working from the 2014 novel of the same name by
Susan Scarf Merrell, screenwriter Sarah Gubbins and
director Josephine Decker craft this film like it was
lifted from one of Jackson’s novels. It is equal parts alluring,
daring, spooky and surreal, leaving the viewer
doubting things they have seen and wondering what
lurks around the corner.
Though deriving heavily from the atmosphere of
Jackson’s novels, the film doesn’t land with the same
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the reel deal
by Dedra Cordle
Ways to communicate
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lingering punch but it does
make for a dreamily unsettling
piece of entertainment that offers
a compelling half-truthful,
half-fictionalized look at the
famed author as she begins to
craft one of her classics.
“Shirley” is streaming on
Hulu and available digitally for
rent or purchase on iTunes,
Amazon Prime, Google Play,
Vudu and on-demand providers.
It is also being presented on virtual
theaters that support small and local independent
theaters.
Grade: B+
Dedra Cordle is a Messenger staff writer and columnist.
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