Re “Timeout for COVID-19,” Richmond Free Press April 23-25 edition:

Most people have an understanding of the unusual virulence of COVID-19 and the need to limit exposure and spread.

My daily life has changed dramatically, but you won’t find me on the Capitol grounds whining about closures and demanding that America reopen. I consider it my civic duty to do all I can to prevent contracting and spreading this virus, which can range from being asymptomatic to deadly.

It would have been nice if the United States had a president who, instead of spending at least 11⁄2 months denying the threat of this virus and doing nothing, had responded like South Korea. That nation recognized the impending public health threat, initiated widespread testing, contact tracing and social distancing.

The United States and South Korea both had their first known cases of coronavirus on Jan. 20. We took divergent paths. From Jan. 22 and into March, President Trump continued to lie to the American people saying, “We have it totally under control” (Jan. 22) and “The 15 cases within a couple of days is going to be close to zero” (Feb. 26).

Meanwhile, by the end of February, more than 94,000 people had been tested in South Korea. In contrast, only 3,300 had been tested in the United States. South Korea did not have to shut down to the extent that we have. We missed the window of opportunity for control.

So here we are, still without widespread testing, a much greater infection and death rate than South Korea — or most anywhere for that matter — and no realistic possibility of contact tracing at this point. Our only alternative is socially and economically painful closure and isolation to flatten the curve of infection in hopes of not overwhelming the medical system.

Hopefully, we will get to a point where the infection rate drops enough and testing becomes more available to allow for contact tracing and control of spread. Only then can we start to reopen in a careful way until we have a vaccine.

However, as long as we have willfully ignorant, selfish people refusing to isolate and having public tantrums demanding that everything open now, that day will be a long way off.

CAROL BUCKINGHAM

Richmond