Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to Election Day’s arrival. It’s been months — years, really — of buildup to this day, but the end of the campaign season is finally upon us. Though many thousands have already sent in absentee ballots, many more will vote in person on Tuesday to decide races from state Legislature up to president of the United States. Though the coronavirus pandemic has changed the landscape considerably, officials have worked hard to make in-person voting as safe as it can be. As with any other group activity, participants are urged to wear masks and practice social distancing whenever possible.

Thumbs down to ignoring health protocols. Quinnipiac University last week announced it had sent home about 20 students after they apparently attended a Thursday night Halloween party in New Haven that may have violated coronavirus restrictions. According to school officials, “masks were not worn, social distancing wasn’t practiced and total attendance exceeded public health guidelines.” This is far from the only instance of failure to pay heed to health restrictions, but it’s instructive that it came at a time of rising COVID-19 cases around the state following a period of several months when conditions had improved. Everyone needs to be careful, and common sense on limiting the spread of the virus must come first.

Thumbs down to the reported shortage in Connecticut of the high-dose flu vaccine recommended for those 65 and older. Some pharmacies, clinics and other sources are receiving fewer doses than requested from the distributor. The good news is that it may be an indication more people are taking seriously the threat of the flu this season and are creating heightened demand for the vaccine, which inoculates against four strains. State health experts say the shortage should ease in coming weeks. Meanwhile, customers may have to check several places before finding availability. It’s worth the effort to lessen the impact of “twindemic” with the flu on top of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thumbs up to unexpectedly good economic news, which is especially important as the pandemic continues to take a toll on businesses statewide. A number of car dealers around the state said they are either in the midst of expansions or recently completed such work, a result of growing sales since those figures hit a near-standstill in the early days of COVID-19. “We’re behind where we were last year, but not dramatically,” one dealer said. “And last year was a good year. Sales are pretty good right now.” There are many reasons behind the unlikely good news, but Connecticut will take what it can get. With so much unknown as winter approaches, positive economic numbers could soon be harder to come by.