Next Wednesday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, a day to honor our men and women who served in the United States armed forces. It is a federal holiday and schools and non-essential federal government offices are closed that day.

With local Veterans Day ceremonies canceled and schools not hosting veterans due to COVID-19, it is up to the public to thank a veteran for his or her service. The Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper would like to thank our veterans for their service and we hope readers take the time to thank veterans as well.

We agree with Holly Stover and Dr. Chip Teel following the announcement that Boothbay Green is closing Dec. 22. The state and communities need to work harder on providing affordable housing for our rising number of seniors. But the problem isn’t just money for these facilities, it is the dip in available staffing over the years and the COVID-19 pandemic which are causing the problem keeping these facilities open. Let’s hope we can all focus on getting help for our aging population as they move out of their homes and into caring homes for the elderly.

The number of cases of COVID-19 in Maine is rising and Gov. Janet Mills took action this week to try to flatten the curve by lowering indoor gathering limits, postponing bar and tasting room reopenings for now, and removing New York, New Jersey and Connecticut from exempt status under the state’s travel advisory. Let’s hope that people remain diligent and that the number of cases slows so we can avoid closing our schools and businesses, like was done earlier this year.

Wear masks, wash your hands regularly, keep a safe distance from people at public gatherings, and stay home if you are sick.