Two shutdowns
Re “Stark fault lines exposed,” July 16
WITH A SON LIVING IN NORTHERN ITALY, I have been able to compare his local government’s approach to COVID-19 with ours in the United States and California.
With a population of a little more than half a million, the province of Trentino has had about 5,500 confirmed cases with 470 dead. Most of those occurred months ago. As of this writing, Trentino has only two hospitalized cases, with none in the intensive care unit.
My grandson is again practicing soccer and baseball with his teams and is looking forward to school reopening in the fall. The government’s approach was quite simple: A severe lockdown with stiff fines was imposed until cases returned to a level where authorities could do serious contact tracing and even random testing. There were no mixed messages.
They still have lots of rules and haven’t declared victory yet, but the virus is under control in my grandson’s part of Italy. And life is slowly returning to normal.
With the chaotic approach this country has taken, we’ll be lucky to get back to normal in another year. Unified government leadership, enforceable mandates and a little discipline among the people have been shown in Italy and many other countries to provide the basis for COVID-19 control. BILL WEBER, La Cañada Flintridge
After a massive spike in coronavirus cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom finally instituted a statewide mask mandate.
This was none too soon, as all scientific information indicated the need for such action.
Today, the incidence of new cases in Orange County is more than the entire state of New York, which has seven times the population.
The disparity in numbers could have been minimized if the Board of Supervisors had supported its former chief medical officer, Dr. Nichole Quick, who instituted mandatory maskwearing early in June. Supervisors Michelle Steele and Don Wagner fiercely opposed Quick. Wagner was particularly vocal in his opposition, being backed by unruly crowds of science deniers.
Quick resigned after receiving threats. It is unlikely that the mob and the supervisors have the conscience to accept responsibility for the unnecessary illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths.
Our outrage should be manifest. The Orange County Board of Supervisors has betrayed our trust in its good governance.
IAN SAMSON, MD
Laguna Woods
If we are all disciplined, we may be able to contain this latest surge in California. That means wearing a mask and social distancing. But then what?
Recent news from Japan, Australia, Germany and elsewhere shows that, even in countries where the majority of the population follows the rules, flare-ups will occur. The surge that started in June here will dissipate, at best, in the next three weeks.
Like a forest fire, a surge is easily controllable only when it is identified early, while it is still a mere flareup. The experiences of other countries and the longstanding recommendations of the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the key is effective testing and speedy contact tracing.
Unless we want to continue this seesaw of opening and closing, we need to implement the CDC recommendations on testing and contact tracing. Otherwise, we will be back to square one again in a couple of months.
ARA KASSABIAN
Glendale
If you are aiming for sensational headlines, then mission accomplished. Stop with the moral equivalency.
According to polls, more than two-thirds of Californians believe in mask wearing. So, some Californians are at odds with the rest of us.
That should be your headline.
Orange County and Kern County don’t represent the state. They are outliers when it comes to masks.
HARRY SCHWARZ
Agoura Hills