Be vigilant in your COVID safety protocols

We are in the midst of a public health emergency. Science does not fabricate the severity of this pandemic. In what world are restaurants, gyms and retail businesses considered “critical” as our county commissioners suggest? Critical businesses mean grocers, pharmacies, health care facilities and utilities. If there is not compliance among the public after the endless messages on how to contain the coronavirus spread, the county deserves to be in a shutdown. With rising cases following Thanksgiving — 700 new cases in the past two weeks — what will Christmas bring? More of the same I fear. Until a vaccine is available to all, people must be vigilant in their hygiene, wearing masks, avoiding groups and practicing safe distancing. This is not an issue of personal freedoms because I am not free to infect you nor are you free to infect me.

Don’t get your fake news from social media, which compares the coronavirus to a bad case of the flu. Get the truth from respectable news sources such as the CDC, the CDPHE, any respectable newspaper, and credible TV reports. Look at the CDPHE COVID-19 Dial dashboard through Garfield County’s website to see what is happening in your own community. The case numbers continue to rise at an alarming rate. Colorado has 64 counties all with COVID cases, 31 of which are now in Level Red (severe risk). Please be an example by demonstrating respect for yourself, your family and your friends by doing the right thing. Stay home or mask up in public to do your part toward containing the spread of this serious and often deadly virus. If you are a visitor to our beautiful state and Garfield County, we welcome you but would appreciate your compliance as well.

---

---

Eleanor Nelson
Battlement Mesa

Appreciation for Bruno

---

---

I so appreciate the Dec. 9 letter Bruno Kirchenwitz wrote to the Post Independent. It was very personal and I imagine painful to put pen to the deep valleys he had to hike (crawl?) through. Thank you is such a small amount of words to give him, but I’d like him to know the help he’s giving to others, by his sharing his story. Thank you, Bruno.

Diana Anderson
Rifle

Thank you COGCC

I would like to thank the new Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission for their work to safeguard health and safety in our beautiful state. Clean air and water are important for humans and wildlife alike. The 2,000 foot setback is a good start, I hope there are not too many waivers or variances allowed.

Sharyn Tipton
Battlement Mesa

Voice our displeasure with our dollars

Mr. Gluckman’s letter blames the unmasked among us on politics. The Coronavirus has been politicized from day one by Democrats and their liberal puppet media.

Conflicting virus information has one extreme hiding in the basement for months and jogging with masks. The other extreme is comprised of mostly self-absorbed 20- to 30-year-olds whose youth makes them bullet-proof.
I believe we are each responsible for our own safety. I do not believe the government has the right to quarantine healthy people. Nor can elected officials circumvent the constitution to address a virus.

My beef is with businesses that put profits ahead of their employees’ health. Kum and Go stores in Rifle all have “Mask Required” signs on their front doors. Yet every day I see mostly younger customers without masks. The workers are forced to wait on these thoughtless bozos in silence.

Remember the signs: “No Shoes, No Service”? How about “ No Mask, No Service”? Mr. Gluckman’s right about Walmart too. They offer free masks at the door, but as long as you’re buying, WallyWorld’s all about the money.
Maybe we need to voice our displeasure with our dollars. Maybe it’s safer to shop at City Market where customers actually wear masks. Maybe fewer customers will get the profit mongers to put employees’ health first.

Bruno Kirchenwitz
Rifle

You ain’t seen nothin’ yet

Have you noticed? Carbondale is growing. So is the valley. We are at the confluence of two rivers, but also of low interest rates, an inviting climate and lifestyle and conducive zoning. “Vibrancy”!

Carbondale did a comprehensive plan a few years back. The theme that came through was “keeping the small-town character.” For anyone moving here from L.A., New York, Miami or Dallas this is a very small town. And most of us have come from someplace like that. I did, 50 years ago. Everything here was smaller, less crowded; and far less pretentious. I came to Carbondale from Snowmass Village in 1993. We loved it. Since then the town has tripled. But you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

We have a three-story residential building going up at the roundabout. Why three stories when not another building on Highway 133 is three stories tall? New zoning. Why right up against the roundabout when every other corner has the buildings pushed back? New zoning.

The Sopris Shopping Center on 133 is seeking approval for a replacement building that would also be three stories and contain some 70 residential units. Why? New zoning. The building also would be right up on the highway. There goes the view to the east. These residential units will experience the traffic noise (increasing) and the air pollution from traffic (increasing). Traffic pollution is linked directly to poor health. Why put new residential on a highway? New zoning. Almost no other residential buildings are now on Highway 133.

A new lumber yard has been approved to sit north of the City Market. That business will generate significant amounts of new traffic on 133 from the roundabout to Highway 82. A lumber yard is, by definition, a distribution business. Most of its business will be for projects outside Carbondale. Why this kind of business? New zoning.

But you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Pat Hunter
Carbondale

Guardians of health the commissioners are not

The commissioners John Martin and Tom Jankovsky are becoming more and more blustery in their defense of defiance of statewide attempts to control the coronavirus spread. Martin, who usually always maintains a respectful indoor voice, even if hinting at the irony of superior knowledge as he steers meetings, has declared, “hell no”… Well now.

Martin’s declaration of power over good faith efforts by CDPHE would be offensive even if it didn’t have the possibility of allowing virus spread that kills someone.

Jankovsky, in a meeting online, responds to criticism with mansplaining his position every time. His tone implying tip top knowledge was and is tiresome. People with greater information about public health are tasked to tell him reasonable actions the county should take. The whole Trailhead/Promotaras action by the commission was shameful. Guardians of health they aren’t.

Be it oil and gas regulation or virus prevention measures, these commissioners always will side with the unimpeded flow of money over safety, ignoring community well being, the health of people who get lung cancer down wind from a well, or die from exposure to a restaurant that packs in diners when measurements show one diner or worker most certainly has COVID. Guardians of health they are not and never have been. Perhaps one day a lawsuit will hold them accountable.

Barb Coddington
Glenwood Springs

Thank commissioners for practical approach

I want to commend our Garfield County Commissioners for their thoughtful and practical approach to the recent state health guidelines regarding the COVID pandemic. In most states, we are finding the spread of the virus is largely due to group gatherings, (74%) and not in our restaurants and small businesses (1.4%). I thank them for not blindly following a recommendation that would do very little to help control the spread of the virus, but would be disastrous financially to our community.

The economic relief funds that have been proposed are minuscule and would do very little to help the average small business owner. We have a much better chance of financial well being keeping our doors open, employees fed, and doing our part to sanitize, distance and mask up to help keep our community safe. I have felt very safe dining out and applaud all the efforts made to help keep it that way. If you are uncomfortable visiting our restaurants and small businesses, you can simply choose to stay away. Just because the powers that be recommend or advise a certain way, does not mean they are right. Have you been to any big box stores lately? Yikes!

Nancy Williams
Glenwood Springs

Coronavirus requires caution from every person

The novel coronavirus dealing death and illness around the world requires caution on the part of every single person. You may have COVID if you have a: Runny nose, sore throat, chills, fever, cough, congestion, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, aching muscles, aching bones, fatigue or loss of taste or smell.

There are so many possible symptoms and no two people have identical cases. Many people feel like maybe they have a cold or perhaps the stomach flu and may go to bed for a day or so. But then they bounce back quickly and go out in the world again until they lose their smell and taste and realize maybe what they have is COVID-19 and then get a test after already spreading the virus around like confetti on New Year’s. This is no New Year’s party, it’s a virus that kills and impacts some for years. Aspen Valley Hospital and Valley View Hospital do testing as does Mountain Family Health at their clinics.

There also are free testing sites in El Jebel, Carbondale and Glenwood: http://www.rfvcovidtest.com.

Remember please that some people are more at risk than others and we all need to take care for the sake of one and all.

Thank you for practicing caution.

Illene Pevec
Carbondale