Letter to the editor: Covid-19 restrictions must stop

Using covid-19 as a means to control and restrict the population has to stop. Each layer of restrictions set up to “protect us against ourselves” is infringing on the rights of the people of Pennsylvania. New restrictions were announced Nov. 17, but we all know that additional ones are around the corner.

“Following the science” sounds good, but the science is not 100% and the referenced “science” depends on what you want to cite for your position. Keep in mind all covid-19 projections to date have been inaccurate. Why would they become accurate now?

“Science” doesn’t match the realities of the covid-19 numbers from the CDC (check out https://bit.ly/3q73JgD). If you are under 65, your hospitalization rate is less than 10 out of 100,000 (less than .01 % — that’s hospitalization, not deaths — see https://bit.ly/37fnA4z).

A large percentage of deaths occur in high risk groups (elderly, people with comorbidities, etc.) and not healthy relatively young individuals (fact per the CDC numbers). Protecting high-risk groups should not mean restricting everyone.

Restrictions are killing businesses and ruining lives more than the virus is killing people. Every life if precious but “we the people” should be able to take responsibility for our own actions and the results of those actions.

Common sense and self-responsibility need to take precedence over fear-driven, knee-jerk reactions of politicians and political appointees controlling how the people of Pennsylvania and the United States live our lives.

Lou Bertha

Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County