Letters to the Editor: L.A. County’s COVID-19 order is too little, too late. Are we doomed?

To the editor: I am having a hard time controlling the grief I feel about the doubling of new COVID-19 cases and deaths. I am heartbroken for the individuals who have suffered and died, and for their families.

I am also heartbroken for the business owners who are being driven into financial collapse. Clearly, if we had done a complete and enforceable shutdown last spring, we might not be faced with devastation right now.

The new restrictions in Los Angeles County are unlikely to curb infections significantly given that most are unenforceable and there is still significant resistance to wearing masks. We are a nation of intelligent people, yet the madness continues.

What now?

Ellen Faulk, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: A few dozen people protested outside the home of Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

L.A. County has about 10 million people. One must take from this that the overwhelming majority of county residents support Ferrer’s good work. Her professionalism in a time of crisis shows her real character.

This is a very serious pandemic that is hitting the United States hardest. Those who feel it is OK to dismiss the advice of experts and attend large gatherings will further spread the disease, resulting in more infection and death.

The protesters should talk to people who survived serious cases of COVID-19. Having the disease is a nightmare. Many people who recover face serious effects that may last their whole lives.

Don’t be foolish and accept the arguments of a few dozens protesters. Keep yourself safe and follow the advice of experts like Ferrer.

Barry Wasserman, Huntington Beach

..

To the editor: It is a great disservice to the public to talk about COVID-19 death rates as if dying were the only serious consequence of being infected. Facing a liftime of health problems as a result of infection is a significant issue.

If this was addressed as much as deaths from COVID-19, fewer people would have a laissez faire attitude about the pandemic. It might influence those who refuse to observe the protocols for preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Many people scoff at the idea of their own death, not yet having experienced it, but would contemplate in horror the idea of never again being able to fully perform the activities of daily life.

Karen Robinson-Stark, Pasadena

..

To the editor: L.A. County’s new safer-at-home order “prohibits all public and private gatherings with individuals not in the same household, except religious services and protests.”

Really?

I think it’s about time we started looking at how things function instead of what they are called. Religious services and protests are, by their very nature, “super-spreader” events.

I am getting really tired of people hiding behind the 1st Amendment to give themselves permission to behave irresponsibly and disregard the health, safety and rights of everyone else.

Natalie Meyer, Glendale