Electioneering unfortunate amid deadly viral pandemic

Ijust got a postcard from the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a website called coronavirus.gov. It has large bold type on the front that says, “President Trump’s Coronavirus Guidelines For America.”

Given the criminally dismissive, dangerously understating and ignorantly prescribing hogwash coming from President Donald Trump throughout this nightmare, the irony of this obvious piece of electioneering is outrageous.

Robert Benedetti Santa Fe

A winner

Cuomo for president! Now.

Stephen Dubinsky Santa Fe

Help with symptoms

Apple’s COVID-19 app just launched, developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If you’re concerned about whether you have the virus, you can use the app’s screening tool, answer the questions about symptoms, etc., and the app will recommend specific steps based on CDC’s current guidelines.

Aleta Pippen Santa Fe

Overreaction?

Two viruses are running wild: coronavirus and a cultural mass panic. Herd mentality can influence politicians and governors just like ordinary folks. What governor could absorb the media scorching if she were the first to end the lockdown? Not one. The virus scaremongers have the governors cornered.

Economic devastation from the lockdown will kill a lot more people than coronavirus, in my opinion. Millions of jobs will be lost. Mostly, they are low-wage jobs for poor people who work paycheck to paycheck. Without an economy, there are no hospitals or vaccines and no medical research or even electricity. To me, it feels as though mainstream news is warping coronavirus by sensationalizing, exaggerating and minimizing. It’s exaggerating the medical risk and minimizing the economic devastation. Two Stanford professors, who just wrote in the Wall Street Journal, believe the coronavirus death rate is likelier one-tenth of the flu mortality rate of 0.1 percent, rather than 1.4 percent to 3 percent as currently believed.

Richard N. Johnson Santa Fe

Keep buying local

As the shock of the pandemic lessens and the new reality sets in, we are already finding new ways to support ourselves and our community. We can make this work! I shopped at three local businesses recently and never left my car. That’s more limited now because of the stay-at-home order, but we can still buy local. And hats off to the internet, the U.S. Postal Service, United Parcel Service and even nonunion FedEx for keeping us connected.

We are so fortunate to live in a large, beautiful state with relatively few people. It’s easier to keep our distance and continue our commitment to one another. Reach out to help those suffering severely. And continue to support your local businesses. Let’s make New Mexico the healthiest, most vibrant state in the country. We’ve got this.

Joan Sickler Santa Fe

Essential and appreciated

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Santa Fe New Mexican staff for your hard and excellent work in this very difficult time. Many thanks also to workers in the other essential businesses that keep us covered. While the rest of us isolate as we should, may we be grateful for all the comforts these workers provide: clean water, heat, lights, garbage pickup, groceries and takeout food, police and fire protection, mail and package delivery, and keeping our government going!

May you all stay well!

Patricia Reifel Santa Fe

Stop panicking

About 10 years ago we had the swine flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 60.8 million cases in the U.S. and 12,469 deaths. Yet there was no panic; life went on as usual.

As of March 24, there were 46,274 cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 587 deaths. The numbers don’t support the panic currently happening.

Arthur Lynn Galisteo