Letter to the editor: Gov. Wolf, give us back our rights

Gov. Wolf: On March 16, you ordered us to close our businesses and schools and to stay at home. You told us that this was necessary to “flatten the curve” so our hospitals wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Not only have Pittsburgh’s covid-19 ICUs never been overwhelmed, they’ve never even been full.

On April 19, over a month after you issued the stay-at-home order and long after the curve had been flattened, you mandated that we wear masks even though many states do not require them.

In Allegheny County, there are 144 deaths from covid-19, out of a population of 1.2 million, yet pools and camps are closed and events have already been canceled for the summer. Because of this, Urban Impact, a nonprofit organization serving underprivileged kids on the North Side of Pittsburgh, will not be able to provide meals and safe activities for 600 inner-city kids this summer.

Where is the data to support these decisions? The data shows that the risk of dying from coronavirus is less than a quarter of a percent, yet you continue to take away our freedom to decide whether engaging in activities like eating at restaurants, swimming in pools, or attending camps is worth the “risk” for us.

According to the Constitution, laws are written to uphold personal liberties. Yet you are creating laws to take away our freedom. Open our city, governor. Give us back our rights. They are not yours to take away.

Michelle Rice

Adams