NEW HOME IN COVID HOT SPOT
Ex-rider Dominguez back in Texas
Matt Dominguez has discovered that you can go home again, even in the middle of a pandemic.
The former Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver moved his family to Texas in June even though his home state is among the coronavirus hot spots in the United States. As of Thursday, Texas was ranked second in the U.S. with 886,000 COVID-19 cases and 17,743 deaths.
“It has definitely been a transition,” Dominguez said from Frisco, Texas. “It would have been a transition regardless of COVID-19. Because of that, it has been interesting.”
Dominguez established a home in Regina after playing six seasons with the Riders (2003-08). The 2016 Plaza of Honour inductee and 2007 Grey Cup champion always wanted to return to Texas with his wife and raise their three children.
However, they were waiting for the kids to complete high school before making the move.
Dominguez and his wife, Jennifer, then broached the subject with their children — Matthew (16), Victoria (15) and Marcel (12). They thought the kids would want to remain in the Queen City but, much to their surprise, all were in favour of the move.
“We didn't want to uproot the kids but, once they were all in, that was a different dynamic,” said Dominguez, who added that he's capable of working anywhere as a realtor.
Dominguez said they started making plans in January to move to Texas and were already well into the process by June.
However, his biggest concern wasn't COVID-19. He was worried about having to cross the Canada-u.s. border, which remains closed to non-essential travel.
Those concerns proved to be unfounded. “Being Americans, we were allowed to come back and forth,” said Dominguez, who grew up in Georgetown, Texas, approximately 300 kilometres south of Frisco, and later starred for Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Dominguez selected Frisco for the move due to family being in the area.
He now finds himself in a state where people don't appear to be that concerned about battling the spread of coronavirus. It's quite a contrast to the Facebook posts he reads from friends in Regina, where the rules are more strict.
“Here in Texas, it's wide open and you can go anywhere and do anything,” Dominguez said. “There are places that require you to wear masks. There are a whole lot of places where people walk around like there isn't anything going on. That isn't me, but there is that type of attitude and we live in a hot spot, too.”
Dominguez was surprised how Regina dealt with reopening schools compared to the situation in Texas. He remembers reading that a Regina school was shuttered because two students tested positive for COVID-19.
“Both of my kids are in a high school of 2,200 kids,” he said. “Where we live, every second or third day I get an email from the kids' high school saying that some kid has tested positive for COVID.
It says they have done contact tracing, they have (informed) everyone who needs to be aware and quarantined who they have to quarantine and this is your disclosure email and that's it.
“They have just resigned themselves to the fact that, if we wanted this economy to reopen and kids to be in school, you will have to live through these kind of disclosures. That's just the way it is.”
Dominguez and his family adhere to protocols associated with battling the spread of COVID-19. They wear masks everywhere they go, including to their kids' football and basketball games.
“They are still having games,”
There are a whole lot of places where people walk around like there isn't anything going on. That isn't me ...
Dominguez said. “Most people do wear masks at those type of scenarios. You do see less people wearing masks at outdoor events like football games.”
Football families are limited to three spectators per player to ensure that social distancing can be observed in the stands.
“Some people don't adhere to it and the issue is they just don't care,” Dominguez said. “Do I feel OK about it? All I can deal with is what I can control and that's me and my family.”