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Letters to the editor March 29

| March 29, 2020 1:00 AM

This letter was written special for you. Thank you.

All your efforts are noticed.

Some of you may be busier than ever before.

Some of you may be the same workload, no change.

Some of you may be not as busy.

Some of you may be in limbo, not doing anything at all.

Some of you may be utilizing your hobby activities into a necessary skill needed these days, such as quilters now sewing on company time, making masks.

Some of you may be learning new tasks. It was overheard in a hospital hallway, “I’m learning a new skill set!”

Your efforts and patience are greatly appreciated. It has been heard that some people are not feeling valued because of the “non-essential” phrase that has been mentioned.

Far from the case.

A flower is not visible for most of the year. The moment it’s noticeable, it’s doing nothing but sitting there, shining its face to the sun. It’s essential because during that moment, it provides nectar to an insect as well as a smile on a human face who takes the time to notice the flower’s beauty. That flower is valued and treasured.

A steel beam holding a wall of a building may not be seen, but it is very much valued and appreciated.

In this time of uncertainty, there is one universal true certainty, and that is you are a treasured, essential being.

Be reassured that during a pandemic time, “active passive participation” is a recognized, valuable skill set.

Thank you for remaining in place, like a radiant flower or a majestic tree, in your own personal space.

—Heidi Sue Puryer, Kalispell

I would like to encourage people to send money to their favorite restaurant for tipped employees. These people depend on these tips for their livelihood. I will be taking tips to my favorite restaurants for distribution to these hard working people. I hope others in the Flathead Valley will do this also.

—Jim Gonser, Kalispell

About a month ago I ordered a huge pack of face masks through Amazon, the ordinary surgical kind, in anticipation of this shortage and with the intention of donating the whole shebang to KRH if needed. The masks are manufactured and shipped from China. I tracked the package as it traveled through Amsterdam, Frankfort and Paris. On March 25 I got an email from the manufacturer in China saying my package is undeliverable because the U.S. (and so Amazon) cannot accept this import unless the FDA has approved it.

Such is the state of our bureaucracy in the U.S. At a time when the CDC is recommending using bandannas, or reusing paper masks, or making your own cloth masks from quilting scraps, the FDA refuses imports of the real thing.

I’m sure my short anecdote is not an isolated incident; it is typical.

Government is not your friend. Commerce is society’s lifeblood. Let knowledgeable people do what they do best; get government out of our way; let freedom ring.

—Maria Folsom, East Glacier

When all this is said and done, I hope that whoever you are, you can look yourself in the mirror and like who’s looking back.

—Amber Gordon, Martin City

With this devastating virus turning the world upside down, this seems to be a good time to share our concerns about people who claim that they are “beyond the contagious stage.” How many times has a co-worker come back to work or come into another large gathering after being sick with a cough, cold, flu or other contagious disease? He/she may still be blowing his/her nose or coughing, but says one of the following statements: “It’s been a week since I got sick, so I’m no longer contagious,” or “I’m on antibiotics, so I’m no longer contagious.”

When asking about these statements to medical people who deal with these diseases, all have assured us that people are “beyond the contagious stage” when they are no longer coughing and/or sneezing.

Please consider this whenever you are recovering from any contagious disease. Ask yourself: “How do I feel when someone coughs in my presence?”

—Cliff and Lynda Collins, Kalispell

How many admissions have been made to Montana hospitals with the diagnosis of COVID-19? How many related deaths have occurred in the state? How many ICU beds are available along with respirator capability? How many deaths have occurred in Montana due to the A & B influenza seasonal outbreak. Would that not be an interesting comparison to the COVID-19 data?

I queried the Montana hospital association, the department of health and the governors office last week with these questions. I was unable to get answers to any of these questions. I was simply passed on to another department. As a former hospital administrative consultant to Governor Tom Judge, I’m pretty sure this information would have been available at this stage of the crisis!

—Ronald Phelps, Columbia Falls