Federal unemployment compensation ended in Florida in late June. Those checks were on top of state unemployment checks. The theory was that less money in accounts would spur workers back into the labor market. That hasn’t happened.

Diners are packing restaurants again and travelers are booking hotel rooms. Businesses are largely back open, but many don’t have enough employees to move their products or serve their customers.

We thought the end was in sight. Things were returning to normal. Summer trips were being taken and family reunions were planned. Then, the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 caused breakthrough infections and a pandemic surge.

The pre-pandemic nursing shortage was exacerbated by COVID-19. Even as more people are vaccinated, the need for nurses in Tallahassee remains. A shortage of instructors is one barrier to getting more nursing jobs filled.

Medical professionals are dealing with the scariness of working around patients with a highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease. It’s a scary time for anyone in the medical field, especially nurses who have frequent contact with critically ill COVID patients. But that’s not stopping future nurses from pursuing their dreams.

COVID came into the home of yours truly at the tail end of 2020. We can only guess how it happened. We’ve been mostly socially distant, wearing face masks, and living our lives. One family member was in the hospital for almost a week, and visitors aren’t allowed on the COVID floor. We kick off Season 2 with two nurses: one says taking care of your health is better than any mask, and the other cares for critically ill COVID patients.

COVID-19 has altered many holiday traditions – a painful footnote to 2020. While we lament the lack of large holiday gatherings and packed entertainment venues, vaccines are bringing hope for some normalcy in 2021. We hear from Tallahassee Community Chorus Artistic Director Michael Hanawalt and infectious disease specialist Dr. Perry Brown, a professor at the Institute of Public Health at Florida A&M University.

In Episode 6: Walk It Off, we explore a theme that keeps popping up in this series. Lots of people are taking daily walks for both their physical and mental health. Did you know your body is made to move? We hear from a walker and an expert about the impact walking - even just moving a little bit - can have on our work performance and our daily life.

In Episode 5: Mental Health & The “Be Kind” Hotline, peace of mind is in short supply in 2020. But resources are available, and the best help may simply be a kind voice on the other end of the line.

In Episode 4: Anxiety With A Capital A, we hear how the pandemic has exacerbated problems for people struggling with mental and/or physical illnesses. For many, quarantines and lockdowns made an already difficult situation far worse.