Feds exacerbating virus situation at the border
My recent return from a dentist appointment in Nogales was terrible. The line was extremely long and difficult to social-distance in because so many people were waiting to cross the border.
I and hundreds of others waited for over 7.5 hours to get to the processing room.
There were only two U.S. Border Patrol people working and only two people could enter at a time.
There could have been more border personnel working to safely process people to cut down on the waiting time and congestion.
This appeared to me to be a bad example of the current administration’s attempt to curb border crossings while using the COVID-19 virus as a reason to place so few personnel at the border.
This was more than just an inconvenience. It actually created a more dangerous situation with people having to wait so long and in close proximity.
Gail Schumacher
Southwest side
Wear a mask
for front-line workers
Nearly 90,000 people have died. In many of those cases, the only person with the dying patient was a nurse at their bedside.
A recent article told the story of one such nurse. No one else could be with the patient.
She shared her experience of holding his hand, putting on soft music and dimming the lights. She spoke to him with comforting words and held up an iPad so he could see his family member.
After he died, she went out into the empty hallway and sobbed.
These scenarios are occurring numerous times a day.
This is an excruciating experience for all the dedicated medical staff and it is taking its toll.
We owe them more than a few words of thanks. In many cases we owe them our lives.
And we owe it to them to follow the safety guidelines, including wearing masks.
John D. Kautz
Midtown
Social distancing or quarantine, you decide
The dictionary definition of quarantine is a state, period or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or have been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed.
The definition of social distancing from the CDC is: Social distancing, also called “physical distancing,” means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home. To practice social or physical distancing, stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’s lengths) from other people, do not gather in groups, stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.
It seems to me that people need to practice social distancing so that they won’t be quarantined.
I think so many are frustrated because we can’t remember a time when the well were quarantined and had to watch our country’s economy crash while we are home.
Phyllis Peto
Northeast side
National parks should stay closed, for now
As a former national park ranger, I am watching with some fear the administration’s relentless push to reopen America’s national parks.
There are three groups of people that absolutely must be kept safe.
The first group is the people that live in “gateway communities,” the small towns outside our parks.
Their communities are often miles away from adequate medical facilities. The arrival of thousands of tourists puts these people at risk.
The second group is the park employees, those who interact with the visitors. Will they have adequate PPE to protect themselves while dealing with the visitors?
Finally, there are the visitors. Will they practice social distancing? Will they wear masks?
From what I have seen in news photos of people visiting reopened beaches, I’m not very confident that they will.
Keep the parks closed a little longer so we can assure safety.
Rick Smith
Foothills
Huge furniture store, warehouse to open north of Tucson
