Letters: How we are going to reopen (4/23/20)
How we are going to reopen
Re: “The reopening balancing act,” April 22 news story
Whether you want to open the country up right now or keep it slammed shut or anywhere along the spectrum, surely we can all agree that a robust program of testing is crucial if we are to end this pandemic.
How can we be failing so badly to get this going? Why are we not urging or ordering companies in this country to start working overtime to produce the tests and testing supplies we desperately need to fight this battle? We should all be pressuring our leaders in both the House and the Senate to persuade President Donald Trump that the problem is real and that he needs to take the lead in getting the supplies we must have to get us to insure both our survival and our ability to open up safely.
Ralph W. Cannon, Denver
I am sure everybody is very concerned about the novel infection COVID-19. I am sure everybody is getting tired of it as well. I strongly disagree with locking down an entire country to fight the pandemic. It has never been done before, so we don’t know if it works. We do not even know how contagious or how deadly the virus is. We do know the lockdown will cost trillions of dollars and devastate our economy and human lives. The principle of first, do no harm was recklessly abandoned.
The peak is behind us. The coronavirus seems to be widespread. Most likely millions of Americans have been infected so far. It is too late for social distancing. It will not work. We will not defeat this virus by hiding at home. Instead we should rely on herd immunity and the only way to accomplish it is through vaccination or having a large portion of the population infected and then immune to it.
It is very disturbing to me that the whole discussion about the lockdown has become so completely political. It is a power grab opportunity for political elites and media. It is insane. Our health care system is fine. We need to go back to work. A collapsing economy is a public health emergency, too. We are already seeing people suffering and dying due to a delay in medical care. While we are all suffering, politicians on both sides of the political aisle enjoy that moment.
Andrzej Dankowski, Lone Tree
Live life outside the anxiety and tension of the pandemic
Re: “When life falls apart, go outside,” April 18 features story
Allyson Reedy’s piece in Saturday’s edition was well-written, insightful and therapeutic. Her words remind us of the importance of nature, green space, blue skies, and their ability to temporarily free us from current anxieties and tensions.
And it is not just park-like spaces that can offer us this reprieve; a gentle stroll through your neighborhood will provide evidence that we all deal with this confinement differently, but we all deal with it nonetheless.
I cut Reedy’s piece from the paper so as to be able to peruse it from time-to-time throughout the seemingly long weeks and months that lay in wait for us all. Thank you, Allyson.
John Waller, Denver
Setting a good example
Re: April 18 photo of Gov. Jared Polis and Vice President Mike Pence at the Air Force Academy Graduation
I was very glad to see that Gov. Jared Polis was practicing safety and following the protocol for wearing a face mask in the photo of his meeting with Vice President Mike Pence. It is uplifting to see our governor taking the new coronavirus seriously.
Barbi Hunter, Denver
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