A no-win situation
By the time this letter appears, it is certain that there will have been an outpouring of rage against Gov. Tom Wolf for taking the action which is a tragedy for restaurants and their workers: shutting them down for indoor dining for some of the traditionally most prosperous weeks of the year. This comes on top of previous closures and limits on occupancy, which have already dealt a death blow or close to it to these places, which are the lifeblood of the community. The tragic toll is evident in the number of restaurants that have closed since the pandemic began.
Some restaurants do well with takeout and delivery orders only; many will not.
The governor is in a no-win situation. I do not envy him nor would I want to be in his shoes for anything. The coronavirus is raging out of control. Positive cases, hospitalizations, including those using precious intensive care unit beds, and deaths are rising at an alarming rate. The alternative to closing certain businesses now would be to allow hospitals to become overrun as the number of available beds dries up and the availability of staff diminishes significantly for multiple reasons.
The period of closure is a bitter pill to swallow, something which no decent human being would want to inflict without compelling cause. I hope Pennsylvanians will understand the motivation behind an exercise of power which is used reluctantly despite the suffering that it will inflict.
Oren Spiegler
Peters Township聽