Just over a year and a half ago, Cleveland County was one of the last places in the United States, North Carolina and the World to get cases of the Coronavirus, COVID 19. Remember when Democrat NC Governor Roy Cooper shut down all Schools in North Carolina. And Cleveland County had Zero cases of COVID and Zero Deaths from COVID and CCS was shut down anyway. Many, including myself, believe that Democrat Governors used COVID as a convenient reason to shut down schools, even though children were resistant to that original strain of COVID 19, in order to shut down America’s booming economy and blame it all on President Donald Trump in the 2020 Election Year. Along with stuffing the ballot boxes with phony mail-in ballots. (Hey, it worked. And look what we got with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris running the US Government. But that is a story that is still unfolding.)
Now, September 9, 2021 we hear that the Cleveland County Fair will not be held this year and Social Media sources are blaming Cleveland County Manager Brian Epley for making dire predictions about COVID at the September 8th Commissioner’s Meeting. However, that particular “rumor” about Epley is wrong. I attended the September 8th Commissioner’s Meeting and Epley didn’t say a word about COVID and shutting down the Fair in that meeting. Epley, as usual, does his dirty work in secret. Epley would have waited until the next day during the secret meeting of the Fair Board (they are all secret from the public) to do his part in shutting down the Fair.
I have other reports.
Cleveland county Schools, per the new Health Department Director Tiffany Henson, have over 1,000+ students out of school because of COVID. Either they are sick or quarantined for being in close to sick students or students that tested positive for COVID.
Student athletes, especially Football Players, in the classroom are being placed far away from “unmasked” students. Since the School Board, under Luke Queen, have adopted a policy that everybody will be mandated to wear masks except for those whose parents have petitioned CCS for an exemption because of disability or medical or religious reason. Having the athletes blatantly and purposely moved away from an unmasked student puts that student AND the parent under a situation akin to being bullied in the classroom. Shunned by everybody. Hopefully this blatant disregard for the rights of others by the CCS staff and administration will be brought-up and discussed at the September 13th 2021 School Board meeting. Everybody should try to attend this important meeting.
School Board Member Rodney Fitch has been reported to be hospitalized because of a severe infection of COVID. Word is the Shelby Hospital did not have a bed for Rodney and they had to move him to the Kings Mountain Hospital, where his condition is serious.
NOW, after saying all of this, we have to consider why Cleveland County went from one of the last counties in North Carolina to have COVID infections to one of the top handful of the 100 counties with major and serious COVID infections? What caused all of this and why was it allowed to happen?
First, the COVID 19 original coronavirus and now the Delta and Mu variants are coming from around the world into Cleveland County, it is NOT the other way around. Sure, some Cleveland County folks have now gone to the beach and come back with COVID. But those cases can be accounted for. Next, travelers on Interstate 85 travelling in and out of Cleveland County without stopping are NOT contributing to the COVID infection rates. ZERO from those travelers.
So, what can it be and it is just a recent event?
Recent Events you say? Recent events that have brought outsiders into Cleveland County in relatively large numbers, just in the last several months!!!
Only two things fit that description.
1.Opening the Catawba Casino.
2.The American Legion World Series.
But, all things considered, it has to be the American Legion World Series.
“Williams, What considerations?” You might ask.
The “unbuilt” Casino is right now only a bunch of doublewides chocked full of slot machines and video poker. No close places to stay. No nice restaurants on site. No motels rooms on site. No floor shows. Just about no “nothing!!” Mostly local folks from around Cleveland County, Gaston County and South Carolina.
Not so with the American Legion World Series!! All 15 teams and their families come from across the Country. Hawaii, the West Coast, Florida, Northeastern states, Midwest States. Southwestern states. All over. Everywhere but local. There was not even one team from North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and other nearby states.
There were 15 teams overall, with an estimate of no less that 30 people per team (Counting the team players) gives at least 450 outsiders coming to the games and mixing in with the local Cleveland County people that were given tickets to see the games and fil up the stands for the TV cameras to show a big turnout. All this close contact from locals and all these outsiders. A perfect recipe for a “Super-Spreader” event.
And, the timing is perfect. The ALWS schedule was August 12-17th 2021. Previous years attendance has been said to be 120,000+ people. Of course, that is often the same person attending multiple games being counted multiple times and added all together. But still a large number. And all the multiple chances of transmission form outsiders who might not even have the symptoms yet.
So, the outsiders go home and get bad sick in their own home towns. The locals that have been exposed, take about 10 days for the COVID really take hold. So, from August 17th to August 27th, the COVID virus has incubated and being spread all around Cleveland County. A “Critical Mass” has been achieved and the COVID numbers explode like a nuclear bomb has hit Cleveland County residents. Health Department Director Tiffany Henson says NEW COVID Cases are coming in at 100 per day. That is NEWWWW cases per DAYYY.
You don’t have to be a Casino addict gambler to know that the odds are a million to one that the recent explosion in COVID cases in Cleveland County has come from the American Legion World Series games in SHELBY. The timing is perfect and the numbers don’t lie!!!
Tell your Commissioners to get rid of the ALWS forever. Besides the Commissioners wasting $5 plus Millions on the ALWS and Eddie Holbrook’s boondoggle, many people are gong to die because of this. That is a statistical fact.
