We are now entering day 83 of the COVID-19 Modified Operating Procedure for Extension, and we are in Phase 1 of our Extension Return to Work Framework Plan. We have a color-coded map that identifies the current reentry phases for all county Extension offices. I must reaffirm that we will not be able to hold any in-person events until after Phase 3. As the state and county government offices reopen, there will be ongoing questions about our reentry plan. Our District Directors and County Coordinators will continue to stay in close touch with county officials. We have communicated that we work through the University EOC to get offices approved for reentry and that the EOC makes their decisions based on SC DHEC data.
We will stay the course with our reentry plan, as it allows us maximum flexibility in the event there is an emergence of COVID-19 hot spots. We must get used to following the protocols for social distancing and CPE (community protection equipment) until a scientifically-proven vaccine is widely available. Pandemic experts report that it usually takes two years to enter back into the previous normal way of life. However, even when that happens, we still need to follow appropriate social distancing and cleaning guidelines.
Many of you have begun to plan and develop educational programs for the new normal. The last eighty-three days has allowed us time to evaluate how we can improve and increase our impact. If this pandemic has taught us one thing, it is that we in Extension are needed more than ever. True science-based information concerning COVID-19 effects on various parts of our lives is fluid. Many feel inundated with too many data sources, and that they are not receiving enough reputable data delivered in a manner they understand and trust.
As we move forward with a more robust Extension program delivery approach, we must engage in ways that will “Make the Best Better.” I have a few questions I would like for you to think about concerning your program area. How can we offer educational programs to more people? How can we get more students involved in 4-H and FFA activities? How can we develop more online certificate programs? How can we strengthen our brand? How can we contribute solutions to the current health, economic, environmental, and relational issues, causing strife and grief across our state and the nation at large? These are the types of issues that Extension has been able to help address in the past, and that is the reason that Extension is still as needed today as it was when it was established in 1914. We have to rise to the occasion to help families and communities get back on their feet.
Fear is a crippling and paralyzing phenomenon. One of the most profound approaches to combat fear is education. We must be deliberate in our work and build on the trust we have already created with our stakeholders to rise to the occasion and “Make the Best Better.” The quality of life for South Carolinians in these uncertain times depends on it. Please continue to take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Extension.
