Letters: KC readers discuss coronavirus caution, water workers and Barney Allis Plaza
Take our time
To the impatient, three thoughts:
Look at history. There were three waves of illness during the 1918 flu pandemic. The second one, in the fall, saw the greatest number of U.S. deaths.
This coronavirus is novel. Though barely understood, it appears that pre-symptomatic people and those who never become ill can infect others. The 1918 virus is still not well understood.
Find right relationship regarding the First Amendment. We cannot be in right relationship with God if we are not first in right relationship with our neighbor. Putting our neighbors’ lives at risk by attending religious services (or reopening the country) ignores the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.
We need to be patient. With so little data available, our leaders who are asking us to shelter in place are applying the best wisdom at this moment.
- Terri Butel, Kansas City
Cover-up here?
In reading the complaints by the state of Missouri against China regarding its covering up the seriousness of the coronavirus, it appears we should probably also sue President Donald Trump. He may be guilty of several of those same things.
Trump was warned about COVID-19 by Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services, on Jan. 18. A few weeks after that, Trump proposed cutting $9.5 billion from HHS, which funds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Also, Trump waited 54 days after Azar’s warning to announce a national emergency.
But, then again, any suit against Trump would have the same chance of success as suing a foreign country.
- Frank Strada, Overland Park
Liquid asset
We are truly thankful for everyone who has done such great work for all of us over the past few weeks. However, I would like to mention a forgotten group that also happens to have been a target of the editorial board in the past.
Our sewer and water systems are so consistent, reliable and dependable that they are taken for granted. They take water from a river no one wants to swim in, make it safe to drink, then deliver it at a consistent pressure 24/7, no matter the demand.
Once we have used it, the wastewater department cleans it and sends it back into the environment cleaner than it came in — all for about half the monthly cost of a cellphone. And obviously there has been no reduction in the maintenance, production or management required during the shutdown, and this work cannot be done from home.
So thanks to the water and sewer folks for helping get us through this pandemic. After all, water is the essence of life, and clean water is a crucial factor in controlling disease. Our water system is one of the great bargains of our time.
- Tom Hoffman, Kansas City
In a name
I have heard several good ideas about rebranding Barney Allis Plaza. As long as rebranding is happening, why not change the name? What about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza? It wouldn’t require address changes, as renaming The Paseo did.
All the creative ideas people have for food trucks, music, vigils and protests could be done there. Sidewalk chalk could brighten up things, and children dancing to live music are always fun to watch.
I’m not a resident of Kansas City, but I do call it my home. Perhaps this is part of someone’s plan already. If so, I say go for it. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza has a nice ring to it.
- Shelley Gathright, Belton
Appropriate usage
COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. It has changed our social habits, education and health care. There is so much information available for public consumption. However, it is hard to know what to trust and what to follow. As a local pediatrician, I recommend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “How to protect yourself” guide at cdc.gov as a resource for ways to keep you, your family and your providers safe.
According to the CDC, the role of wearing a mask in public is to keep you from spreading the virus, not to keep you from getting it. There have been unprecedented changes in how personal protective equipment is used to protect your nurse, your care assistant, your respiratory therapist and your doctor. We in the medical profession must preserve this equipment so it is available when it is time to care for our patients. I see many members of the public wearing hospital-grade or medical masks, taking away a mask that could be used by the medical community. Instead, a cloth mask should be worn by everyone over 2 years old.
We are in this for the long game. Help protect everyone, including the nurse and doctor waiting to take care of you and your family.
- Edward Lyon, Kansas City