Until recently, “Zoom,” for me, was a PBS children’s show when I was a kid. I remember a good egg salad recipe from it (it’s the yellow mustard!) or was that on “Big Blue Marble?” and, on “Zoom” for sure, the horizontal stripes the kids always wore. 

Now Zoom is an app helping schools keep kids learning, and helping some of our towns keep the cash flowing and decisions made, by being able to meet in cyberspace. YouTube is the highway some panels are taking instead. By any name and platform, these virtual lessons and meetings are the next best thing to being there. And, with a pandemic on, that’s pretty good.

We can listen in and ask questions by writing them or raising our virtual hand, like I did Monday night to confirm some figures as a Wiscasset school budget workshop wrapped up; and best of all, fully virtual meetings, where none of the participants gather in-person, are incapable of spreading the virus. Save a face mask, hold a virtual meeting!

Virtual isn’t perfect. Someone might not realize they are on mute and audio quality can vary. But for helping bend the coronavirus curve in cases and deaths, you can’t beat the ultimate social distancing: Staying home and connecting online. 

There really is nothing more important than everyone getting out of this alive. 

Week’s positive parting thought: Kudos to everyone wearing gloves, or masks and gloves, in public now. Safety is in fashion.