COVID-19 continues amid confusion

Janette Schroeder Jun. 12, 2020 3:20 pm Updated: Jun. 12, 2020 3:20 pm

Has someone declared that the pandemic is over? Is substantial spread done?

Everything seems to be going back to normal. Some bars in Cedar Rapids have customers without masks lining up along their bars side by side in bar stools. People are attending outdoor prayer services within six feet of one another with no masks. Businesses, including Tyson processing plants, are returning to pre-COVID-19 policies, including punishing workers for not going to work when they are sick.

Citizens have been given such mixed messages from our state and national leaders that it's hard to know what actions can be taken to prevent further spread of COVID-19. I keep hearing that people need to be responsible and follow safety precautions like social distancing and staying home if sick, but they may not be able to choose to protect themselves and their loved ones unless there are interventions from government officials. The governor says that we have to protect both lives and the livelihood of people in Iowa. It appears she is choosing to protect livelihood over lives.

Promoting the general welfare, one of the basic functions of government, does include both lives and livelihood. Can we trust government policies will truly protect both?

Janette Schroeder

Cedar Rapids