Letters: KC readers discuss Congress’ emergency duty and enduring COVID-19 confinement

Stay in place

If the president is considering a quarantine, I suggest members of Congress. They must stay in town to do the people’s business. Technology allows for teleconferencing, so the “I must go home to hear from my constituents” argument is fallacious. Their feigned concern rings hollow. Stick around Washington, D.C. You might be needed quickly to contend with crisis and tragedy.

- Jerry Hughes, Kansas City

Great unknowns

It is day 14 of social distancing for me, and I have discovered during this isolation exercise created by the elusive coronavirus that there are people who thrive on social contact and those who don’t. My husband is happy as a lark working on machinery on the farm and keeping busy. I, however, am about to climb the walls.

I miss seeing my 93-year-old mom in the nursing home, and she misses me even more as I wave at her through the window. I look forward to driving to Walmart in the morning to pick up my scheduled two-week grocery order and not seeing anyone except the row of cars at the pickup lanes. How quickly we adapt.

Routine activities are canceled, and life is on hold while schools and colleges close, non-essential employees are on leave, businesses close, funerals and weddings are postponed or family-only, church services are streamed live on Facebook, birthdays have become drive-by parades, and the economy grinds to a slow, unknown destination.

Are we prepared to stay hunkered down another 30, 60, 90 days? Our resilience as a nation is about to be tested in ways we never imagined.

- Violet J. Corbett, Knob Noster, Missouri