April 21. OPINION. By Anonymous. What is a true crime is the prevalence of the coronavirus in nursing homes and elderly care facilities.

We have wasted billions of dollars isolating the young and healthy. The elderly should have been protected by daily testing of staff and armed security guards along with the best medical protections available.

Instead we decided to close down society.

The latest news is that nursing homes in Mecklenburg have cases. If statistics hold true, 25 percent of the residents who get it will end up dying. This is horrible.

Do the staff wear masks? Has visitation been eliminated? How often are the staff tested? How did the disease get into these facilities in the first place?

I’m pretty sure these elderly were not visiting the local bars and restaurants yet we closed the local businesses, threw thousands out of work, and still have the virus in the most vulnerable population.

What in the world does anyone really think they are gaining?

People who are most at risk should continue to shelter.

Two years ago, 80,000 people died in the USA from the flu. Did you know that? And I think I missed the isolation orders in that year? The flu attacks the same population (elderly and with certain conditions) but also attacks the very young—something COVID-19 doesn’t do. Why the panic on this one?

The flu has killed 24,000 this year just in the US. Not a word in the press about it. I guess the good old flu doesn’t sell papers. Did you know the flu is a virus too ?

Some 36,000 people died last year on the US highways. If we used the same logic (every life must be saved regardless of cost) we should close the highways. Fast saving of 36,000 lives. Why don’t we do that?

How many people are going to die from completely unrelated problems because of avoiding doctors and hospitals for testing? I turned 60 recently. I was supposed to get a colonoscopy this year (10 years after the first one). Now I’m seven months late.

If I needlessly die from cancer, will this be counted as a COVID-19 death?

Other people have similar stories.

We have 350 million people in this country. A person dies in the US every 12 seconds. Every life is indeed precious but we don’t close society and live in bubbles. Within the next 90 years, it is likely almost all 350 million of our current population will have died for one reason or the other.

There is not one single doctor who has said the process we are doing is intended to stop the virus. The intent of flattening the curve is to avoid overrunning the hospital capacity. That is it. The same number of people will get the virus but this will be spread over a longer period of time. This mission as been accomplished.

It is time to claim victory and get back to work.

—This piece was submitted by a long-time member of the Lake Norman business community on the condition their name would be withheld.