To the Editor:
The speech about the coronavirus that President Trump should but will not give:
My fellow Americans: Our beloved country, like many other countries, is battling an unseen enemy, Covid-19. As I speak to you tonight, over 170,000 people have fallen victim to this terrible virus in the United States. Millions more have been infected.
Medicine is working at an accelerated pace to develop a vaccine and treatments. And progress has been promising, but we are not there yet. Our public health officials have told us that until we have a safe vaccine and/or treatment, if we wear masks, practice social distancing and wash our hands frequently, we can take control of the coronavirus.
Now is the time to come together as a country. This is not about Democrat or Republican. This is not about liberal or conservative. This is about returning to the way of life we all cherish. The company of family and friends, Little League games, children back in the classroom, and all of us, including and especially the most vulnerable, feeling confident to begin again living a normal life. It is about getting everyone back to work and getting our economy going again.
I have reconsidered my feelings about masks. I personally urge you to wear a face mask when you cannot practice social distancing. Do it for yourself, for your loved ones and for your fellow citizens. Let us each do what we can to put this crisis behind us.
We have weathered crises and defeated enemies before, and we can and will defeat Covid-19.
Thank you and good night.
(President Trump dons a face mask. Fade out.)
Ray Lambert
Middletown, N.J.
How to Help Children at Risk of Abuse
To the Editor:
Re “Children at Risk as Caseworkers Shelter at Home” (front page, Aug. 7):
Home visits and in-person interviews are critical to the accurate assessment of the risk of harm to children reported to the state system for suspected abuse or neglect. To protect child protection workers during the pandemic, unions have lobbied successfully in certain states to suspend home visits and allow workers to work from home.
This strategy not only puts children at risk, but it also does not take into consideration the psychological and moral distress these workers experience when they are unable to properly assess if the reported children are at risk for harm.
Rather than taking away this critical part of the assessment process, unions should focus more on securing the protective equipment and protocols necessary for workers to safely and effectively do this essential part of their job.
Mary Ann Forgey
Kingston, N.Y.
The writer is a professor of social work at Fordham University.
A Better Experience With Covid Testing
To the Editor:
Re “Lag in Covid Test Results” (letter, Aug. 4):
I am truly sorry to hear about the disappointing experience the writer had getting Covid tests for herself and her daughter. I would have been beside myself with frustration and anger if I had had the same experience.
Which is why I wanted to describe how different my experience was, particularly because I was so impressed and even surprised by the response, start to finish.
My calls to both the Erie County Health Department and the New York State Health Department were answered after a few rings by actual pleasant and helpful people who set me up for an appointment the very same afternoon. The test site itself was easy to find and professionally run with almost no wait time, and my results were available three days later, happily negative.
I was so impressed with both health departments, and I’m glad to have the chance to give them the credit they deserve. And proud again to be a New Yorker, especially in these times.
Ann Pikoff
Buffalo, N.Y.
And Now, a Musical Interlude
To the Editor:
Re “Is Bach Better on a Harp?,” by Parker Ramsay (Arts pages, Aug. 15):
Thank you for this wonderful and insightful article. It was a breath of fresh air to musicians like me, filled as it was with musical terms and references like obbligato, “The Well-Tempered Clavier” and ricercars.
It was a welcome distraction from our daily dose of Covid-19, social distancing, the Postal Service, voter fraud, power outages and the rest.
Ruth Albert Spencer
New York
The writer is on the music faculties of City College and the 92nd Street Y.