OUR 55TH WEEKLY UPDATE REGARDING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AND THE VACCINES THAT ARE BEING EMPLOYED ACROSS THE WORLD. IN ADDITION, WE WILL BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE TRIPS THAT ARE GOING OUT FROM WHITE STAR TOURS CURRENTLY AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE, AND WE WILL COVER SOME MUCH REQUESTED HISTORY OF OUR COMPANY.
FINALLY, SOME GOOD OLD ENTERTAINMENT TO KEEP YOU SMILING.
FRIDAY, April 30
FROM CHRIS KRARAS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
“INVESTMENT IN TRAVEL IS AN
INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF!”
My Dear Friends:
As always, I begin this message to you by hoping that you are all doing well and staying safe and healthy. As the weather continues to be so beautiful at this time of the year, it lifts everybody’s spirits to new levels. What makes everybody’s spirits brighten up even more is the state of the Coronavirus, and the fact that it is quickly fading into the sunset and will soon be only part of a history that we will never forget. The numbers of positive tests have, again, started to decline dramatically and are actually over 20% lower when compared to just two weeks ago. There were certainly logical reasons for that short period of time when the positive numbers went up, and most of that was due to the fact that many of the younger people who had not gotten the vaccines had lowered their guard. However, we have jumped over that hurdle.
As far as the vaccines are concerned, all of the approved vaccines are now working at full blast all around the United States. As we all know, there was a slight delay with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but that has been overcome with the realization that the concerns were basically unfounded. Just the thought that there are at least four million people a day who are receiving the vaccine, and that we are approaching 50% of the total population in the United States that will have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine – most have gotten both doses – should be comforting to all of us. Compared to where we were only a few months ago, this is wonderful news that I hope you as Group Leaders share with your Group Members. It is also important for you to note to your Group Members that once they get the vaccine, they are, for all intents and purposes, completely immune to the Coronavirus. It has been reported that less than one in ten thousand people who get the vaccine contract the Coronavirus, and, even in those cases, it is only a very mild form of the virus. This statistic is reason to celebrate and to get your Group up and moving and ready to travel.
Once again, to give you an update on travel and how Groups are doing around the country that work with White Star Tours, we now have hundreds of Groups that are either currently on the road or will be on the road over the next month or two. We have Groups traveling to the Black Hills of South Dakota, Michigan, Las Vegas, Arizona, Maine, and so many other places. Even some of the “hot beds” which were considered to be virtually closed, are now open to visitors, as we have already had buses into Washington, DC and New York City over the last week or two. Please share this great news with your folks, and let them know that now is the time to get themselves ready for the trips that you have planned.
As you know, every week over the last few months, I have been featuring one of our Staff Members for you to learn a little bit more about the people who help make White Star Tours tick on a daily basis. Of late, however, I have gotten so many requests from so many Group Leaders to, once again, give a little bit of the history of White Star Tours from our inception fifty years ago. In answer to those requests, I have inserted our history in this week’s message to you. You can read all about it by clicking here.
On a side note and just to let you know what most of our Staff and Family will be doing this week, most of us come from the Greek Orthodox Faith. Because of a different calendar that is followed in our Church, we will be celebrating our Easter this Sunday, May 2nd. This is a joyous time for all of us because most of us have been fasting during the Lenten Season, and we look forward to breaking the fast on Sunday and enjoying lamb and ham and all the other wonderful foods that help us celebrate this meaningful occasion.
Continuing what I have done for so many of these weekly messages to you Group Leaders, I would like to end with a little humor. Just to keep smiles on your faces for another week and to stay filled with hope, please click here.
My best to you again this week. I hope you all stay safe and happy and that you all look forward to the trips that you have planned with us for 2021. There are still many new trips that we are sending to you in the form of email blasts once or twice a week. If you want to still sign up for a couple trips this year, especially during the Holiday Season, please feel free to contact our office. Best wishes to all of you and your families and God Bless You All!
“I TRAVEL BECAUSE IT MAKES ME REALIZE
HOW MUCH I HAVEN’T SEEN,
HOW MUCH I AM NOT GOING TO SEE,
AND HOW MUCH I STILL NEED TO SEE!”