Monday morning Gardner received his COVID-19 results from a test that he took on Friday which unfortunately showed that he is still testing positive for the coronavirus. This is now the third week in a row that the Mayor has not been able to work directly from his office.
Luckily, Gardner’s COVID-19 symptoms seem to be mild, which has allowed him to work from home during the past few weeks and keep city business moving.
“I’ve had it pretty mild. It was like a light touch of the flu. I had no breathing problems, some achy bones,a little fatigue. I have never in my entire life been home for two weeks. So that was a big adjustment in itself staying at the house,” said Gardner.
“Everything has gone extremely smoothly at the City. We’ve got some great department heads and key management.”
Unfortunately, the Mayor’s wife Debbie Gardner has also contracted the virus and has faced more severe medical complications, ultimately having to be hospitalized.
“The most important thing to me from a personal standpoint is for my wife to get better. She’s still in the hospital with a lot of different complications from corona,” said Gardner.
Luckily he was able to inform the Minden Press-Herald on Monday that they had in fact received a convalescent plasma donation from someone who had and recovered from coronavirus.
Gardner and his wife’s different outcomes from the same virus shows here locally the fact that COVID-19 can affect different people in different ways, making it all the more important that people who may not be as affected from the virus still follow proper hygiene as to not spread the disease to those who are.
“The coronavirus is not selective. It doesn’t matter who you are or how healthy you are. If it attaches itself to you, you’re going to get it. Wear your mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds every time you think about it. You not only need to think of your health, but also the health of the individuals around you,” said Garnder.