If I have a motto/credo/manifesto, it’s “there’s always a Logan County Connection.” That simple belief has carried me through almost a half century of community journalism.

It was driven home big time Saturday when The Courier-Journal of Louisville published a local interest story related to the Coronavirus which has not only gripped America but also the world. That local interest is not only Kentucky-related but also Russellville-related.

Mark Wetton, a Russellvillian who has grown his Logan County-initiated Amtrek business internationally, has been isolated for over two months in his apartment in Wuhan, China, where he has a factory. He was there in January when the rapid growth of virus cases reached such a point in that originating city that the city was put into lockdown.

Many of Wetton’s employees at the factory had gone to their hometowns for a Chinese holiday when the shutdown began and couldn’t come back to Wuhan. And Wetton was stuck in his apartment thousands of miles away from his wife Beth in Russellville.

“It was lockdown. Seeing a city of 11 million people going from 100 miles an hour to zero miles an hour was absolutely strange,” he told long-time Courier-Journal reporter Deborah Yetter.

In her article, Yetter tells about Wetton’s isolation in the apartment and how a doctor he had met has gotten his food to him during his period isolation.

As the government began to ease restrictions in Wuhan this week, Mark was allowed his first trip out of the apartment to buy groceries. He had to wear a mask, gloves and eye shield along with carrying the proper government paperwork. Without that, he could have been arrested.

Wetton says he thinks Wuhan handled the situation well. He’s concerned that Americans haven’t taken the dangers of the virus seriously enough. He thinks social distancing, staying home, and wearing masks are among the precautions that are absolutely necessary.

Yetter quotes retired Logan-Todd Circuit Judge Tyler Gill, who is a friend and family relation of the Wettons. Gill talks with Wetton by Facetime and shares his concerns about some people in this area who are skeptical about the danger of the pandemic.

“Maybe this will make some people wake up,” Gill told the reporter. “Scientists aren’t all trying to lie to us.”

The Courier-Journal is allowing people to read articles online for free while they are stuck at home in Kentucky. The following is the link to the Wetton story:

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/04/04/kentucky-coronavirus-businessman-wuhan-says-covid-19-serious/2939802001/