The Covid Cha Cha

Melinda Palacio

    The dog days of summer ushered in two steps backwards in the pandemic. In the city of Santa Barbara, the Covid Cha Cha means many official Fiesta events have been cancelled. The first event that went was the Fiesta Parade, followed by the cancellation of the opening dances at the Mission Steps and the courthouse. While I'm sorry for all the kids who have spent the past couple of years practicing dance routines for Fiesta, it's the egg sellers I really feel for. The families who have probably spent over a year carefully emptying eggshells to fill with confetti. The final product is a dyed egg shell, sometimes tricked out to look like a Disney character or sharks or candy. These carefully handled confetti-filled cascarones are perfected so that they may be cracked on someone's head, a Fiesta tradition. If you've done Fiesta right, you find confetti in your house months after the festivities are a distant memory. With social distancing, it's nearly impossible to nab an acquaintance or co-worker with cascarones. A lone tourist asked a vendor why she was selling them. As she explained the tradition, I wondered if she would sell off her load and whether she would return next year.  

    For a few weeks, we've had a glimpse of life in the before times, sharing meals, smiles, food and fun with loved ones. I enjoyed a glorious day at the beach with my sister and nephew. It was so nice to hug them, laugh, and dance in the sand. We went home to grill and share a meal. I know I wasn't the only one to venture out and enjoy time outdoors and indoors with friends and family. What a beautiful glimpse we had of life pre-Covid. And then the Delta variant roared its head and brought a fresh round of restrictions and mask mandates. It's as if the virus dealt us an extra blow by letting us relieve what life before Covid was like. Politics aside. We have the anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers to thank for these steps backwards. If my sister can wear a mask during a full-day of taking care of sick people, you would think no one would put up a stink about wearing a mask while they shop or resist getting a vaccine that will save their life and allow everyone to return to all the activities most of us have had to put on hold. I guess such people have never met anyone who survived polio or measles. 

While I hope we can take that step forward again, and keep on running into a virus-free future. It will all depend on compassion and cooperation of those who have ignored health mandates and concern for the global good. Although Dr. Fauci warns that what's coming after the Delta variant could be far worse than anything we've seen, here's crossing my fingers that love and common sense will win. While mask mandates for indoor dining begin today, there are still a few mercados and Fiesta events, such as the horse show and rodeo that will continue. Viva La Fiesta. That taste of real life was sure nice.