Restaurants must require workers to wear masks if they want business | Letters
Last week I visited island restaurants to determine if they have adequately prepared to reopen to the public.
One of the criteria I used to judge was use of gloves and masks by waitresses and servers. Coronavirus is transmitted by droplets from the nose or mouth. Anyone handling or serving food could easily transmit droplets while in the process of moving food from one place to another.
Masks are not optional for food service people. Masks must be mandatory.
One owner/manager told me his staff members were tested prior to return to service and have their temperature taken when they come to work. These measure are not foolproof. Servers and wait staff return to their homes and families at the end of shift and may become infected at home.
Tests are only good the day of the test, and it is unlikely that restaurants will test employees daily. Temperature-taking is inadequate because many people may be positive for COVID-19 and be completely symptom-free. They are still infectious.
Masks are the only way to protect the public they are serving. Masks also prevent workers from infecting one another.
Our main concern is for the safety of the people with whom we live, and the future of our restaurants. A good practice now will prevent them from closing due to an outbreak in the future.
As for my husband and me, we will dine only at restaurants where servers and wait staff are masked and gloved.
Barbara Ernico
Hilton Head Island
Want to help? Then stay home
It is pretty much agreed that stay-at-home orders have saved many lives. It should also be understood that lifting these orders prematurely places more people in jeopardy with more deaths to follow.
Those who have the authority to make these decisions need to have those thoughts when they put their head on the pillow each night.
The implications and results of these actions can never be measured.
One thing for certain is that we will once again place an incredible, dangerous, additional, unnecessary burden on our medical providers and essential services personnel. They have served in conditions unimaginable to serve everyone else, including putting their loved ones at risk too.
If you really want to help them, stay home. Lessen their burden, give them hope, let them get back to their families.
Getting our hair cut, our manicure, or visiting the beaches by the thousands can wait. We are supposed to be united in this battle. Let us act like it.
Raymond Dias
Bluffton
JoAnn Orischak will be missed
Beaufort County Board of Education representative JoAnn Orischak has been a true example of what it means to be courageous.
Ms. Orischak has continually demonstrated integrity, courage, honor and commitment, even though at times, suffering severe criticism and adversity by the board majority.
She has been characterized by members of the community as: bright and right, one of the few voices of reason on the school board, never gave up and never gave in, could always be counted on to ask the tough questions with grace, and always responsive to the electorate.
As one of her constituents in District 11, the best endorsement I can add is that JoAnn is a good listener, always mindful with her vote that she was representing the electorate in District 11, as well as the student population of Beaufort County schools.
Ms. Orischak’s departure from the board is a loss that will be felt by the entire community.
Alan Smith
Hilton Head Island
Nation needs quashed CDC report
Hats off to the Hilton Head Island grocer whose altruism led him to stop selling tobacco products.
We are delighted he cares more about customers’ health than his profit.
We wish our president, Donald Trump, cared more about the health of Americans than whatever crazy notion caused him to shelve the CDC’s report containing recommendations for safely re-opening the country during this coronavirus epidemic.
Our tax dollars paid for the preparation of that report. Our country’s employers and employees (to say nothing of its customers) deserve a chance to consider the CDC report’s recommendations.
Since it is very clear to everyone that Trump knows nothing about citizens maintaining health during this critical time, let’s all ask him to reconsider his decision and release that report. We want to deal exclusively with businesses and service providers that follow guidelines protecting our health.
Kathleen and Lew Leopard
Bluffton
The puzzling support for Trump
With the number of American deaths from the coronavirus now pushing 82,000, far more than were killed in the Vietnam War, my exasperation spilled over.
Out of disheartenment, I reached out to a friend who I knew was beguiled by President Donald Trump. I wanted to get a feel for why this good man, and others, continue their devotion to such a flawed and dangerous man who by ignorance, lies, and apathy is exacerbating so much misery.
I knew that by inclination or need, this man faithfully clings to FOX News, which does provide comfort and reassurance to him, protecting him and his radicalization. But did he not recognize that Trump was love bombing the fold, a tactic he is skilled at, to entice the disenchanted and vulnerable into his camp? Had they no clue who the real Trump was?
I thought I would test this hypothesis. We played a sort of “guess who” game. This person pretends to be superior to others, has a lack of empathy for others, looks down on others as inferior, attacks and demeans others when criticized, has a very fragile self-esteem, doesn’t believe in science, makes decisions on the fly without thinking or planning in advance. I didn’t include immorality, and pathological lying. This would have been a giveaway.
The sheepish look on his face told me all I needed to know. He knew the “guess who” was Trump. Without prompting, the best he could manage was, Trump is a good Republican. What?
Joseph J. Ohnstad
Hilton Head Island
Where is God during quarantine?
I sit once more amid scattered office papers, attending a wonderful Sunday church service on my computer screen. It’s comforting to experience the golden candelabras and white lace on marble that I’m used to. It’s unsettling, on the other hand, to know the beautiful building is empty.
Do empty buildings mean God is missing? I ponder that point while tracing the ornate rug design with my eyes. I believe God is in how we treat each other. If I act against my selfishness, I expose the Living God. We all experience unkindness in our lives, but if I do not respond unkindly then I expose our Living God. You are, you can be, we all can practice being, an example of our Living God each moment in our day. It’s a choice, and it’s our choice to make.
During church service, I heard the words of Jesus read from the Bible: I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). If we treat others with actions that exhibit God’s love, we will draw down blessings of heaven for the “abundant” life promised us by Jesus.
This quarantine time is an opportunity to re-order our priorities. Let’s all think on this and begin anew; expose God in all that you do.
Joan Davis
Beaufort
Grateful for the morning newspaper
With all of our lifestyle changes due to the virus, we wanted to thank you and all the staff of The Beaufort Gazette for providing a touchstone of normalcy.
Thanks to our carrier, we have been able to start each day on our porch sipping that first cup of coffee while reading the Gazette. Your coverage has been excellent! Thanks to all.
Linda and John Ollis
Beaufort
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 8:56 AM.