This will be no ordinary Labor Day weekend, and we urge our readers not to treat it like it is. 

Typical Labor Day gatherings would be COVID-19 super spreaders. 

Don’t make Labor Day a repeat of the Fourth of July this year when large gatherings and parties resulted in coronavirus outbreaks. 

Our governor is traveling around the state telling people to not let this holiday weekend turn tragic and to socially distance, avoid crowds, use good hygiene and wear protective masks. 

We could not agree more with him and thank Gov. Kemp for this messaging. 

Traditional Labor Day picnics, parties and beach trips should be avoided for the good of all of us. 

Don’t make it about yourself and what you want to do to have a little fun to wrap up your summer. Instead, make this weekend about your community, your family and the most vulnerable among us, keeping them healthy and safe. 

Yes, people will have a day off from work and students are out of school but let’s all make sure that we can go back to work and school and avoid another outbreak. 

Labor Day is intended as a recognition of the American worker and is the byproduct of the American labor movement of the late 1800s. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, as the result of the efforts of the Central Labor Union.

Then, in 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday that became known as “the workingmen’s holiday.”

Regardless of political views or perspectives about labor unions, were it not for the labor movement in this country we might still see children working in sweat shops, women being trampled on in the workplace and wages far below the minimum wage laws that now offer some threshold for American workers.

The American labor-force is crucial to our economy and quality of life. The hard-working men and women who put on their work boots or hard hats, who don their aprons or name badges and put in a hard day’s work for what — at times — seems like less than a honest day’s wage, deserve to be recognized for being the backbone of our nation.

Each day we take the goods and services that we enjoy for granted. Whether it is in manufacturing, agriculture, food services, construction or retail, men and women work hard each day to provide those things we just assume will always be there

So, in recognition of Labor Day this year, let’s all do our part to keep the economy open, help people stay in their jobs and avoid all crowds, socially distance, wash our hands and wear our protective masks.