To the editor:

Everybody chill. It’s just a virus. It’s not a conspiracy, hoax, or Divine Plan for population control. It’s a little piece of protein surrounded by a protective layer of fat. Happens in nature all the time. Human beings can control the spread, protect themselves and save lives by following some tried and true simple protocols. But first, we have to believe in science.

This virus is airborne, sent out when infected people talk, yell, sing, cough and/or sneeze. Masks and other face coverings can interrupt the flow to another person. Mask wearing is neither unmanly nor anti-Trump; it’s just common sense.

The virus does not have its own means of transportation. When expelled from an infected person, it can’t travel very far. Social distancing by staying 6 feet apart can prevent transfer.

We know from doing dishes that soap dissolves fat. When we wash our hands with soap, we destroy viruses we may have contacted through touch.

Other new viruses: SARS, H1N1 and ebola, didn’t magically disappear. People followed scientific procedures of testing, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation to control them. More recently, so did people in European and Asian countries where COVID19 has been effectively contained.

In this country, the numbers of infections and deaths continue to rise because we have a president and other elected “leaders” who believe in conspiracies (Democratic plan to hurt Trump) and magic (it will just disappear) instead of science. We MUST vote them all out!

Jolene Andersen,

Lawrence