Letter: We shouldn't sit back and hope for the best

The current pandemic crisis raises more questions than answers for me. Ross Nelson and Mike Hulett suggest we carry on with business as usual.

In January, Nelson questioned U.S. involvement in certain military conflicts, enumerated the military and civilian casualties that resulted, and suggested we learn from history, but in the case of the coronavirus pandemic he suggested we repeat history. What is the difference between military action that results in casualties and government inaction that results in casualties and chaos? Does the sinking economy decrease the value of a life?

Nelson asserted the economic slide will result in increases in suicides and crime. Are there projections of these numbers to compare to the projections of deaths from COVID-19? Will our mental health fare better if we continue business as usual? Will the positive cases in our area remain isolated if we ease restrictions? Which is worse: a laissez-faire approach with rampant spread of the virus, overwhelmed hospitals and health care workers, and negative economic impact or dramatic action to mitigate some effects of the crisis with devastating economic impact?

Nelson promises to illuminate the “faulty and incomplete estimates of COVID-19.” Perhaps he will point out the wide range of potential epidemiological outcomes and the inability to accurately predict the outcome. Should we try to avert the worst or sit back and hope for the best?

I do not have the answers, only questions. The expression has been used that we are building the plane as we are flying it. Should we use the same aircraft we had around the time of the Spanish Flu? Hopefully, our leaders will build a plane that will help us land as safely as possible. We cannot stay in the air indefinitely, and we are all passengers on the same plane.