200,000 PER DAY

AN EDITED VERSION OF THIS POST NOW APPEARS ONLINE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES AS THE LEAD LETTER TO THE EDITOR AND IS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR IN THE PRINT EDITION TOMORROW.

 ("Coronavirus Live Updates: Daily Death Toll Will Nearly Double by June, Trump Administration Models Predict")

This MUST be a typo I thought. 200,000 new cases PER DAY by the end of this month. And if those projections bear out, that would mean the numbers of those contracting Covid 19 would be approximately seven fold what we are experiencing today. HOW CAN THAT BE ACCEPTABLE?

We have lived under the weight of this disease for months, first slowly then all at once. The administration misunderstood, misled, missed the neon warning signs from other countries. Whatever the reason, the government has failed miserably to date.. But to see the numbers on the page of what may well occur as we lessen restrictions on vast portions of our population, is to actively invite death into our homes.

How, in light of the FEMA analysis can the President or anyone else on the state or federal level, advocate opening up our doors and the floodgates?

The concerns of hospitals unable to care for those gravely ill, that haunting image we have tried to eradicate as a possibilty, would become a near certain reality.

To ignore the warnings in this report would be worse than irresponsible. It would be CRIMINAL.