LETTER: The coronavirus and saving lives

To all those — Gov. Steve Sisolak, elected officials, the media and others — claiming concerns about “saving lives”: I understand we have suffered more than 2,500 coronavirus deaths in Nevada. I also know that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a percentage of those deaths most likely would have occurred with or without the presence of COVID-19. But that is not my point. What I would like addressed are the studies on the short- and long-term risks, deaths and impacts on more than 100,000 hospitality workers, entertainers, restaurant and bar employees and small-business owners who suffer the consequences of the economic shutdown.

At what point does the risk of one life outweigh the other? I have concerns about the health risks that impact the immediate and long-term physical and mental well-being of me and my colleagues associated with depression, high-blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, increased drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, domestic abuse, heart disease and other serious health conditions brought on by stress. That doesn’t even address the impact on the spouses and children who depend on these fellow Americans.

Yes, perhaps the economic shutdown is saving lives. But how many are we sacrificing along the way and in our future?