Also on frontline: Social workers

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Yonkers: Every day, I hear and read about our heroes — the selfless nurses and doctors who put their lives at risk caring for coronavirus patients. There’s no question that they deserve these accolades. Just once, however, I would like to see others who work on the front line also receive some recognition, in particular social workers assisting persons in nursing homes.

These professionals deal with sickness and death daily. They work closely with families who are distraught, angry and depressed because they cannot visit with their loved ones. They meet with the residents regularly, some of whom have the virus, to arrange for FaceTime with their families. They also assist families with funeral arrangements and help them with the grieving process. Social workers often spend more time with the residents and their families than other health care professionals.

At the end of a long day, social workers, like their colleagues, are physically and emotionally drained. They, too, are on the front line and put themselves at risk. They, too, are dedicated and caring professionals who, each day, are thankful for any bit of comfort and support they are able to provide. Let’s celebrate and honor our social workers who are also our heroes!

Paulette Sansone, Ph.D., MSW

Penny pinching

Bronx: Regarding the editorial “NYC’s coming budget crisis” (May 17): The Editorial Board opines that it is time to hit pensions to mitigate the financial pain we will be facing as a community. I wonder if they would feel the same if they were retired municipal workers who had worked for 40 years looking forward to a pension? Also, that person must be looking at pension rollouts from the 20th century. Us retirees can barely live on what we get today.

Logophile

David Cornish

Manhattan: Yankees President Randy Levine calls his players “patriotic.” Not quite sure what definition he’s using. Webster’s describes a patriot as, “One who loves, supports and defends one’s country.” I am not aware of any Yankees (management or players), especially during this crisis, who have answered a call of duty or charity that merits this description. Levine’s comments dishonor those who have served their country in military uniform and those who have made non-military sacrifices for the good of the nation. Here’s a term that applies without question to the Yankees prez: “meshuggeneh.”

Cary Goodman

Foul play

Bellerose: I’m very disappointed at the New York Yankees and their policy of giving out piecemeal refunds to fans for their 2020 season tickets. Even if the season were to start, they will be doing so in front of zero fans. I was astonished to learn that the Yankees are only reimbursing for April at this time. My representative was a great sport hearing me complain. The Yankees have put her and her colleagues in the awkward position of telling fans that they are not allowed to receive their money back for a bust 2020 season because, well, “this is what the Yankees have decided to do at this time.” I am extremely disappointed. This is one of the wealthiest sports franchises in the world and they should give their fans the money they desperately need during this most difficult time. Matthew R. Rivera

Good movie

South Farmingdale, L.I.: Just think, as Americans depend more and more on deliveries to their homes while they “hunker down” indefinitely, you will soon have Amazon making deliveries to zombies.

Mike Pedano

Keep it local

Bayonne: You could have a tremendously positive effect on New York if your excellent team would write an article about how small businesses may close due to discriminatory policies of not allowing small stores to open up. Large stores like Target and Costco are allowed to be open while mom-and-pop stores have not seen a nickel in sales for more than two months. Small stores need to pay rent, utilities and their suppliers but no money is coming in. Some will have to close forever. They also employ people and pay sales and income tax. This hurts the city as well.

Josh Zeitman

Proper response

Mount Vernon, N.Y.: To Voicer Maggie Carbine re black and brown people not following rules: Not social distancing or not wearing a mask should not result in a beat down from a police officer. I saw people in Central Park and around New York who were not in compliance and it did not result in a fist from a cop but a paper citation. Leslie Cook

Hold your horses

Brooklyn: I would like to thank Councilman Joe Borelli for his spot-on op-ed (“Time to revive New York?” May 17).

Sadly, it’s already too late for many small businesses, which are gone for good thanks to Gov. Cuomo’s over-the-top lockdown. It makes no sense that I can shop in the corner liquor store and bodega, but not in the other nearby stores which employ thousands of New Yorkers who desperately need to return to work. Sadly, Cuomo is a rigid, inflexible ideologue who refuses to admit he was wrong, even though his delay in shutting down the state and his forcing nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients are directly responsible for thousands of deaths, and even though states that are opening up have not experienced the predicted spikes in the virus. Indeed, by forcing millions of people to stay indoors in cramped apartments, Cuomo probably ensured that we developed into a global epicenter. Yet he still thinks he has a halo around his head. Something needs to be done to rein him in, ASAP, if this city is to survive.

Dennis Middlebrooks

Build a fence!

Yorktown Heights, N.Y.: So now the mayor wants to build a fence to keep the taxpayers off public beaches. This is the

/SHUTTERSTOCK same guy who calls anyone racist for wanting a wall to keep illegals from flowing across our borders.

Gabe Pompe

A closer look

Howard Beach: The way an administration continues to be corrupt is to fire the inspector general who tries to get to the truth. Trump has finally found something that he excels in. Barbara Berg

New development

Brooklyn: If Trump stacked up the coffins of those who died from COVID-19 one on top of the other, he’d be able to put his name on it: The Trump Coronavirus Tower.

William Gabriel

Unhappy ending

Brooklyn: The televised virtual graduation ceremonies are a nice and special creation meant to buoy the spirits of graduates, families and school staff who really wanted to see their senior classes sent off in the proper fashion. I appreciate these efforts, but I am still unsure how we will celebrate my younger daughter’s graduation from high school at the end of June. Her senior year has been curtailed so harshly.

Ellen Levitt