EDITOR:

I have a few questions that I would like to publicly put to State Representative Beau LaFave and others who are promoting the anti-confinement rally in Lansing this coming Wednesday, April 15.

How many deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Delta County and the 108th District, which you represent, would be acceptable to you, Mr. LaFave?

Would one death in Delta County be too many? Or 10? How about 50 deaths, or more? *

In my opinion, your call for people to ignore Governor Whitmer’s orders to stay at home and instead travel to Lansing to join a mass protest against those orders is not only ill-advised, it is dangerous, and could prove deadly.

Representing the 108th District is a sacred trust you accepted when you were elected. You are bound to represent the needs and best interests of all your constituents. It is therefore your responsibility to advocate for the health and safety of the people of the 108th, especially in times of crisis.

This would not seem to include encouraging your constituents to participate in illegal and/or self-destructive activities. Risking your own life is foolhardy. Encouraging others to do so is irresponsible and immoral.

Virtually every epidemiological expert agrees that the most effective means of limiting the spread of this virus, to which humans are naïve, are social distancing and quarantine — whether voluntary or through civil enforcement.

Advocating that your constituents ignore effective disease containment practices is not only ignorant and ill-advised, it could be seen as gross negligence, should some heed your incitements and either contract this deadly disease themselves, or carry it back to others among their families, friends and communities.

I assume that you are aware that the U.P. currently has the highest death rates from the COVID-19 epidemic of any region in our State?

As of Monday morning, April 13 there were 9 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Delta County and one death. That’s 25.2 cases per 100,000 people, with an 11% death rate. In Detroit, where there have been 6,500 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease, there have been 368 deaths, a death rate of 0.056%. In Michigan as a whole, since March 10 there have been 25,635 cases and 1,602 deaths (a death rate of 0.06249 %). There are 433 people who have recovered, which means that four times as many people have died of COVID-19 in Michigan as have survived, so far. Does this seem like something to take lightly? (Statistics reported by the Detroit Free Press, 4-13-20).

Daniel M. Young

Escanaba