More than case counts

First, I commend the Monitor for the high quality journalism provided week after week. When public trust of the press is waning, the Monitor’s standard of professionalism is a beacon.

In prior letters I have expressed concern over ‘mandatory’ in front of masks, vaccines, family gatherings, etc. You can change minds with reason, but you cannot change emotions, so I am going to change subject matter.

We are approaching a year of COVID-related policies that have crushed a robust economy. Like someone looking at a football game’s passing yards only, and not the score of the game we have focused on new cases to the exclusion of the other impacts of these policies. Whether it is the ease of tracking new cases, or perhaps election year benefits, it is time to break that thinking and measure other facets of this situation.