Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Hey Ards, trust me, 2021 is goign to be a waaaay better year. I promise!

@rusnivek

Explosion in Nashville (TN) at 0700.

Eyes up.

Be safe out there peeps.

@rusnivek

We woof you a merry Christmas…

Yeah, I’m still covering for a bunch of our staff in this holiday season.

Crossing my fingers that no news stations call for interviews tonight. Maybe I could give Kacy the interview. Besides, I am sure the news stations would love her camera presence better than me.

Besides, Santa seems to be the talk of the town this year as they track his path across the world thanks to our friends at NORAD.

If you need the link, follow their Santa Tracker magic along here: https://www.noradsanta.org/

@rusnivek

As we continue down our online meetings, its tough to get to know people. While we are all fully immersed in our work activities, I am fully aware that our Federal partners from CDC and HHS as well as our state partners sometimes don’t really smile that much…or even have their cameras turned on during our coordination calls.

Well, I decided to change that today…with a little holiday spirit.

Cracking a few holiday Dad Jokes usually brings a smile to a few faces.

Glad to be in the middle of this vaccine distribution with our partners as their collaborative work on critical messaging, response actions, and on social media have been spot on.

Working the holiday magic as we continue to share the message of

Wash your hands

Wear a mask

Keep 6ft apart

Avoid large holiday gatherings

And of course, keep it small this year…so we can have a big celebration next year.

@rusnivek

Your best protection from COVID will be a combination of getting a COVID19 vaccine, wearing a mask, staying at least 6ft away from each other’s, avoiding crowds, and washing your hands often.

No one tool alone is going to stop the pandemic.

Learn about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination so you’lll be ready when a vaccine is recommended.

#SleeveUp

@rusnivek

This week is the final week before the big Christmas holiday. Many families are on the move as they travel to their extended families homes for the Christmas celebrations.

TSA is reporting larger numbers as we surpass the pre-COVID traveler numbers at airports.

I wonder if people are flaunting their COVID fatigue. Their IDGAF to Coronavirus.

I CAN tell you that this is the kind of activities that put others in jeopardy…so please reconsider your options.

As we push out our reminders and pleas to the general public, we want them to be cognizant of the ramifications of their actions.

Most importantly, we want them to make to Christmas.

Don’t believe me? My Mother, Father, and Daughter have all tested positive for COVID. I’d like all of them around for many more holidays. Please.

@rusnivek

For those wondering how Santa is doing, it seems that despite the COVID hit, the North Pole IT sector has made it possible for him to still outreach to kids of all ages.

Proud to have Santa call into our house to verify if we made the naughty or nice list.

While it’s not perfect or ideal, this Santa interaction is priceless for so many kids out there who are abiding by the strict household restrictions to protect those on Christmas Day.

Glad that everyone in our family is of the same mindset.

Looking forward to a safe happy holiday szn!

@rusnivek

What the….

I think I might need more sleep as I am sure I just quoted a line from Frozen.

But seriously, good time to check in on friends at the front lines of this Coronavirus issue. We all know they have been working hard to keep people safe and hopefully reunite those with family members.

Give them a call on this overcast Saturday afternoon.

Send them a text and see how they are doing.

Most important, be a friend and take the time to listen.

The COVID vaccine rolled out this week across this nation…and lots of frontline healthcare workers are elated to hear that news.

@rusnivek

Proud of our partners in Connecticut for rolling out the first #Coronavirus #COVID vaccine administration at four nursing homes this morning. Starting out in West Hartford!

The first in the nation!!!!!!

Lots of logistical work and coordination in place to continue our fight against COVID19.

The partnerships between local, county, state, tribal, territory, and Federal partners is critical as we vaccinate everyone.

From your favorite PIO…

@rusnivek

Quick tip for all those leaders and PIOs out in the field.

Since we’re all doing more Zoom/Teams/Adobe type interviews, the same principles of framing the shot still apply. News stations still have to apply lettering and appropriate spelling of your name, title, and agency your are representing when you talk which means YOU have to plan and frame your own self in the shot.

If not, things could go askew and your name and title could be covering up your face.

So try your best and pull away from the camera a bit. Get a wider shot which might give your webcam a better focus length and maybe even take some of the glare off of your face.

Not only plan, but practice this technique with your leadership staff as they are gearing up for more virtual interviews as the weather gets worse.

Reporting live from virtual interview land…

@rusnivek