Boosting is going well in our county, and I think it’s been just a matter of supply and time and willingness. We’re going to see that number of vaccinations go up because children are getting those boosters.
DTH: What does testing availability look like across the Chapel Hill area?
PH: It’s been hard. There’s a shortage, and we can’t say, 'go to one of our neighboring counties, they’ve got extra supply.' We are trying to tell people they have to make appointments to get those tests.
DTH: How does having students back on UNC’s campus change the pandemic situation in Chapel Hill?
PH: We have some people who tend to panic when student numbers surge. The way that I tell them to be careful is, 'don’t go out and frequent where students do if that’s your big concern,' which makes it hard on businesses downtown.
The students did a good job getting vaccinated. We’re really proud of them for that, and I know they will continue to get boosted. They want to get past this virus, too.
DTH: What is Chapel Hill’s plan to recover transit service losses due to the pandemic?
PH: We’ve raised the pay, we’ve done a signing bonus, we’ve structured hours, we’ve recruited in places we’ve had good workers come from before, and we’ll continue to do those things to try to get folks to work.
DTH: Several Franklin Street restaurant owners have expressed that sidewalk dining has helped them stay afloat during the pandemic. With the extended sidewalks removed from East Franklin Street early this year, what is the plan for sidewalk seating and extended sidewalks in the future?
PH: We’re excited about expanded dining, but it wasn’t as successful on East Franklin. But the west end, we will be keeping it. We’re in discussions with the [N.C. Department of Transportation] about taking the road back over so that we can continue to run it the way we would like to run it.
DTH: How has your personal experience with COVID-19 been? Has your experience changed your outlook on the pandemic?
PH: It was frustrating, and I felt a little embarrassed to have come down with COVID because I’m one of the ones telling people to be careful.
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You don’t see it coming. It becomes very real, and you realize how you can’t work and how you have no energy and how it invades your whole body. I’ve had the flu before and been sick before, but this has been three weeks already, and I’m still not back to being me.
DTH: Where do you hope Chapel Hill will be with regard to COVID-19 at the end of 2022?
PH: We’re poised to thrive. We’ve learned so much through COVID. We’ve learned what our community likes and wants, we’ve learned about how our businesses succeed, we’re having better conversations, we’re doing things differently and we’re focusing more on pulling together rather than each individual surviving.
I see our community coming out of this stronger. I see us being resilient because we believe in science. I see us working toward an outcome that involves everyone, not just some people.
@ethanehorton1
@DTHCityState | city@dailytarheel.com
Ethan E. HortonEthan E. Horton was the 2023-24 city & state editor at The Daily Tar Heel. He previously served as a city & state assistant editor and as the 2023 summer managing editor.
