Our pandemic response

It is true those standing shoulder to shoulder protesting the various restrictions brought on by COVID-19 probably should be free to die of “stupid,” as Lenard Pitts put it. But let’s face it, a lot of what were are experiencing needs to be re-examined.

The fact that hospitals are bleeding money and laying off nurses because of rulings against any kind of non emergency surgery is clearly absurd. The feared, “overwhelming” of our local medical system has not happened. Why then do we allow the suffering of people who need help but now must wait months, further endangering their health?

As we begin to “open up,” there are things which simply have to be resolved. Shopping at my local Safeway last week during “senior hours,” only older people, other than employees, were wearing masks. Younger people came in freely and none of them wore masks. Since masks are ineffective unless everyone wears them, I mentioned this to the manager. His only response was, “We can only ask.” The problem was that no one was asking anything. There was not even a sign indicating the special shopping time and not any sign requesting masks.

Our national response to this pandemic has been a comedy (or tragedy) of errors from the start. Everyone needs to wear masks. (Where do we get them?) We will also never be truly safe until we test everyone. When will get serious as a nation and get this done?

James Becker

Spokane