To the editor:

The day after Thanksgiving, the Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health COVID report gave a total of “24 deaths (1 added).” The “1 added” was a dear friend of mine. These numbers represent human beings, with friends and family and people who love them and were loved by them. The 24 deaths add up to a world of pain for hundreds of people, a burden of ache and absence and grief. Wear your mask. Keep your distance. Wash your hands. If you can stay home, do so. Not for yourself, but for the people around you, people you may not even know, who you could infect without knowing it. If you want to go to that crowded bar, that party, that gathering, if you don’t want to wear a mask around other people, ask yourself: Is this worth someone’s life?

Judy Roitman,

Lawrence