LETTER: Personal responsibility
COVID contact tracing has shown that more then half of the recent cases have come from bars and restaurants and large gatherings. As a result, businesses are being punished with more restrictions and unprofitable operations. It’s the wrong move.
The focus needs to be on personal responsibility. When you get a speeding ticket for driving 100 miles per hour, do we go after Ford or General Motors saying they built a dangerous car because it can travel at speeds in excess of the legal limit? No, of course not. We accept the personal responsibility for our unsafe actions. That is no different from our behaviors exhibited during the pandemic. If you walk into a packed bar and you willingly stay and participate then you accept personal responsibility for the outcome.
If you have elders at home and don’t want to infect them, stay away. Use common sense. Don’t go into busy places and then blame those places because you got sick. We shouldn’t be punishing small business owners who are following the rules because of the poor choices of the public. Hospitalization is down, deaths are down. Take the focus and penalties off businesses. Put it on personal responsibility. Issue citations to the public when they do unsafe things. Just like a speeding ticket,
Tony White
Washington