Some have called me a coronavirus idiot. But I just don’t believe toilet paper should divide us
Some Bee readers have taken me to task for criticizing the Elk Grove Unified School District shortly after the largest district in Northern California shut down its more than 60 schools serving 64,000 students amid concerns that some kids had tested positive for COVD-19.
When all public schools in the county followed suit six days later, it made me look like a moron, according to some readers.
“Idiot! Why are you able to print such garbage!” wrote one reader named Steve in an email to me.
And others were very upset that I wrote that people should “For God’s sake, calm down as the intensity of the COVID-19 outbreak picked up steam hour to hour in the last week.
“I have been a fan of many of your viewpoints over the years, but suddenly feel you are off base on your coronavirus opinions... I believe Mr. Hannity would love to have you on Fox News since you are uncharacteristically mirroring the Fox story line, “ wrote Denzil Verardo in an email to me.
OK, so let’s first deal with the Elk Grove’s decision to shut it all down, an announcement that caught everyone by surprise on March 7.
“I’d really appreciate if The Sacramento Bee would have Marcos Bretón issue a formal apology to the Elk Grove Unified School District for this article. They were just ahead of the curve on this issue; tough decision making but the right move considering the circumstances,” said Chris Chavez while tagging me in a Facebook post.
In an email to me, Raymond Skelton wrote: “It is unfair to say or to suggest that the closure of the Elk Grove schools was done in a panic. There is enough conflicting information that could cause prudent people to take that action. I have no ax to grind here. I have no connection to Elk Grove whatsoever, but I do believe in fairness. Monday morning quarterbacking is easy. Making the call during the game much less so.”
To close schools or not?
To Chris and Raymond: No doubt Elk Grove district officials had a very tough decision to make. And as I wrote in two columns on the subject, Elk Grove leadership had the best of intentions.
Clearly, they care about their kids, parents, teachers and employees. This was not about a lack of compassion among the EGUSD leadership.
The point I was making was exemplified in the county-wide decision to close schools. That decision on March 13 was made with all the major parties involved. It was Dave Gordon, the superintendent of the Sacramento County Office of Education, who announced the decision. In the lead-up to Gordon’s announcement, all the superintendents of county schools had input. The decision was made with the blessing of Peter Beilenson, director of the Sacramento County Department of Health Services. And it was made with the knowledge and support of key elected officials in the region.
In contrast, the Elk Grove decision caught everyone by surprise. After the Elk Grove decision, Beilenson became far more public as the county spokesman for the coronavirus outbreak. There was some kind of communication breakdown that the county still has to sort out, but by March 13 all parties were aligned.
And even then, closing public schools is a terrible shame under any circumstances.
As Gov. Gavin Newsom said, public schools are essential services. What is more important than the education of our children? What is more essential to democracy and equity than providing a quality education to every child regardless of social status?
As I stated before, public schools are where some kids eat better than they do at home. It’s where working families can count on their kids being safe while they earn money. And unlike area private schools, where kids can resume their classes online in the coming week, there is a deep digital divide among rich and poor.
For these reasons, Newsom did not formally sign an executive order mandating that public schools be closed. And Beilenson did not announce that the public schools in the county should be closed.
Rather, the gravity of the coronavirus outbreak has created pressure for some districts to close up and down the state. We’re beyond the point of debating if children are in a risk group for COVID-19. The data show that the danger of exposure grows more grave in people 60 and older.
And at least in China, where COVID-19 originated, the World Health Organization, found that adults gave COVID-19 to children and not the other way around.
But none of this mattered. Even though schools are deeply essential services, they have been shut down. So to those who defend Elk Grove’s premature decision, or a blanket closure of public schools, I ask this:
Have you thought about what this closure will do to the kids who need public schools the most? Have you thought about what will become of kids who don’t have a computer at home? Have you thought about what will happen to families who don’t have the luxury of a parent or grandparent or family member who can be at home and watch the kids while they are not in school?
People got what they wanted. Many schools are closed. Personally, my kids will be OK. I’m not worried about them. I’m worried about the kids and families who won’t be OK in the coming weeks.
Sacramento, do you give a damn about them?
Calming coronavirus panic
And then we had the issue of public panic over the spread of the coronavirus. Calling for public calm, as I did, was not appreciated by some readers.
Kathryn wrote: “I’m in my 30s and very healthy. My dad is 74. He still works part time as a house painter and is mostly vegan but he has COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). If I just allow myself to get sick the way you recommend I could spread this to my dad and he could and probably would need medical care and could die. Because of the highly contagious nature I probably wouldn’t be able to see him...Why don’t you think this through just a little bit instead of being so arrogant? On Reddit people are calling you a Trumper, a Fox Kool-Aid drinker, and an (expletive). Disappointed.”
Amy wrote: “Regarding your opinion piece saying everyone should calm down...How, as a reporter, with zero expertise on a topic could you dare write an opinion piece about what is perhaps the most profound event in recent history and have your opinion actually argue the point that will cause further loss of life? You sought no opinions, no expert advice.”
Dear Kathryn: Are you kidding me? If I recommended that people “allow themselves to get sick” my employers would spike my column and recommend that I seek employment elsewhere. I’ll take the heat for stuff I’ve written, but I’ve never suggested – nor would I suggest – that you “allow yourself to get sick.” Did you hear that on Reddit? Because I’ve heard Reddit is where really rational discussions take place.
Dear Amy: I am not a doctor but I have repeated the recommendations of someone who is: Beilenson. Keeping a social distance? Staying home if you are sick? Self-isolation? None of those is my idea. They were the recommendations of the county office of public health and I repeated them. As a matter of fact, I’m living them. I wash my hands constantly. I’m staying home. I’m going to take a moratorium on going to my gym. I’m taking a pass on connecting with friends, which is hard for me because I love my friends.
We get together for breakfast and European soccer on weekend mornings. I love working out before dawn and coming home with coffee and pastries for my family. I love getting together for lunches and coffees with interesting people I write about in The Bee. I love going to Catholic mass, shaking hands with strangers during the portion of mass where we express peace to our fellow worshipers.
I love going to sporting events such as Kings games and greeting friends and acquaintances with a handshake or a hug. I’m forsaking all of that and more for the next several weeks in to be safe. I’m not worried about contracting the coronavirus. I’m healthy and strong. But it would crush me to give it to someone else.
So I’m going into isolation because that’s where we are now. If this is what it takes to keep our community safe, then I’m doing it. But you know what? I’m not panicking. I’m not hoarding toilet paper. I’m not buying up other goods. My admonition to calm down was rooted in my feeling that in times of panic, the haves swallow up what they can while the have-nots go without.
Social inequality is exacerbated in times of crisis, That’s what keeps me up at night now. Those feelings informed my pleas that we calm down. But by Saturday afternoon, the shelves of my supermarket were bare on the aisles containing toilet paper and wet wipes. People who could afford them, some in bulk, bought them.
I worry about those who can’t. We should care for each other, but not just by taking precautions. We should worry about our sisters and brothers who don’t have the luxuries that we do and who will be collateral damage in this damned plague.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
