I would like to respond to three letters recently found in the Cape Gazette from Joanne Cabry, Teresa Rodriguez and Arthur E. Sowers.
They all take issue with the “rush” to reopen the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each of their letters addresses different aspects of the pandemic but all come to the same conclusion; we need to stay shut down. We need to find a vaccine. Where is the compassion for those who might die from this virus if we open too soon? Well, I have a suggestion: Please stay sequestered in your respective homes while the rest of us go about our lives.
Waiting for a vaccine is all fine and dandy, but we have no vaccine for the seasonal flu. The shot we receive each fall works for some and does not for others, yet we go about our business every flu season. There are typically 30,000-plus deaths each year from the flu. There is no vaccine for AIDS, which has been around since the mid-1980s. We may never get a vaccine for COVID-19.
The compassion many of us feel is for our family, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens who are unable to work because of the “stay at home” policies of the governor. These are the people who many of us feel are being betrayed by their government.
Many are unable to pay their mortgages, rent, monthly bills and feed their families. Many of our fellow citizens have poured their life savings into a business venture that they are not allowed to open.
And no one is demanding that these businesses open or anyone go back to work. I would like to know if the authors of the three letters I refer to are still employed and receiving a check. Or perhaps they are retired, receiving Social Security and/or a pension. And using sources such as the Atlantic, CNN and NPR indicates what direction Mr. Sowers is coming from.
There is a risk to life.
In 2019 there were 31,120 people who died in auto accidents per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Per the CDC there are roughly 647,000 deaths from cardiac-related illness. People drown each year or get stung by a bee and die from anaphylactic shock.
Let’s get out there and get back to work. Get those businesses open and do it responsibly. I trust my fellow citizens to be the responsible, hardworking people I know they are. They amaze me every day with their resilience, work ethic and compassion for their fellow citizens.
And after a hard week at work we can go back to our churches for Sunday services.
Remember, we are citizens of this state and country, not subjects. We are Americans, and those who came before us built this country taking risks. We still need to take risks and that’s just part of life. Be smart, safe and stay healthy; and stay risky.
Tom Hess
Lewes
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