Dear Editor,
Over the past few weeks there were several reports of people in high places who have tested positive with Covid-19. Notably some public figures are the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, US Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Cory Booker, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. Many celebrities, athletes, newscasters also tested positive. Most were vaccinated and claimed to be asymptomatic. But obviously they had the virus, and thus could potentially spread to others through contact, socially or otherwise. Note: at the time of writing there is reportedly a 56% increase of new cases and 11% increase of new deaths in the past 14 days in the US.
While these trends are public knowledge, there are nevertheless several instances of public appearances that may be considered thoughtless and unnecessary, or at least done with mandatory precautions. I see a picture of a large gathering individuals celebrating Ramadan at the Imadadul Islamic Centre in Toronto. I see a picture of Nancy Pelosi with Ukrainian President Zelensky. I see a picture of Canada’s Justin Trudeau with Ukrainian President Zelensky. I see a picture of US First Lady Jill Biden and her counterpart Olena Zelenska face to face. I see pictures of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro meeting with President Ali and top politicians. And I am angry because in all instances those people were maskless, despite the prevailing increase in Covid infection.
It seems therefore foolhardy, inconsiderate and reckless that those who tested positive would make contact with others, especially without masks. The no mask mandate was/is premature. People usually trust their leaders and follow their advice. The public has been given a false of security and now they are also behaving accordingly. Trust but verify is a preferred way to go. Has the world gone mad? Are these who call themselves leaders gone mad? It is quite apparent to me that politicians don’t listen to or take the counsel of the science and medical experts. The public is thus well advised to think for themselves. Always question. Therefore, it is imperative not to believe anything anyone says unless it makes sense commonsense.
Sincerely,
Gary Girdhari
