East Idaho's response to pandemic inspirational, courageous

The coronavirus pandemic has certainly created a new normal here in East Idaho.Many businesses have closed because of the outbreak while others have scaled back hours and laid off employees.Students from kindergartners to college seniors are conducting their studies via online courses because the virus has made attending in-person classes too dangerous.East Idaho has over a dozen confirmed coronavirus cases and who knows how many other local residents have contracted COVID-19 without knowing it yet.Still, one only has to peruse the latest reports from the national media to see that other places in the U.S. and abroad are much worse off than East Idaho.But that can be cold comfort if you're a local resident who's out of work, had their hours cut or heaven forbid is feeling under the weather.Make no mistake about it, the coronavirus is here and is having an impact on all aspects of our lives, from making sure we all stay at least 6 feet apart to creating economic challenges for our business community the likes of which we've never seen.The Idaho State Journal is not immune from the coronavirus' effects. Many of our employees are working from home and we've all had our hours reduced because of the harsh economic effects of the virus on the local economy.On some days our newspaper will have less pages and that translates to less news stories.With the high school and Idaho State University sports seasons suspended due to the virus, readers will see a marked decrease in local sports coverage simply because there aren't any games to cover.We've also stopped running our daily calendar and Weekender sections because every East Idaho event that we typically promote and cover has been canceled. Our online calendar is still available to submit and research area activities.All that being said, the Journal like every other news organization on the planet is extremely busy covering this pandemic and its deep impact on all of our lives.Every day brings new developments about the virus. Some of the stories are about COVID-19's spread in Idaho with new cases being reported daily. Sadly the virus has already resulted in some deaths in our state.While those stories stand as a stark reminder of the virus' potential to inflict harm, we're covering a lot of inspirational stories too.East Idahoans have a unique ability to rise above adversity and there is proof of that everywhere, from Dr. Naeem Rahim's $10,000 donation to the Idaho Foodbank to Barrie's Ski and Sports giving away 5,000 pounds of potatoes to the local church community acting as the hands and feet of God in helping our region make it through this crisis.We're extremely proud to say that in the face of this deadly pandemic there are examples of local people stepping up and making a positive difference literally all around us.Such courage, selflessness and generosity in response to the deadliest pandemic since the Spanish Flu of 1918 exemplify who we are here in East Idaho.Despite any reductions experienced at the Idaho State Journal, we promise everyone who calls East Idaho home that we will continue to tell the story of how our region not just survived the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 but persevered and overcame.We, like the community we serve, are not going to let the virus win.Please continue to provide us with your own stories of perseverance and hope amid this pandemic.You have our word that we'll be there to cover your news just like we have for the past 130 years.Ian H. Fennell is the editor of the Idaho State Journal. He can be reached at editor@journalnet.com.