Let's get protective gear for supermarket employees

My son works at a supermarket while continuing his college education. Committed to his responsibilities and to helping the community, he continues to work, in essence, on the front lines of this pandemic [“Early-bird hours hit with seniors,” News, March 20]. Like health care workers, he is constantly engaged with the public, where it is difficult to practice social distancing.

Why is it that he and workers like him are not given protection — gloves and masks — from possibly infected individuals and contaminated surfaces. Supermarket and pharmacy workers cannot shelter in place so the government should mandate protective gear. We need these workers to continue supporting these essential services.

Louis Mattera,

Smithtown

Though I praise Newsday’s thorough coverage of the coronavirus, I must point out that while you have beneficially reported news, closings, precautions and shortages, I have not seen inclusion of the obvious shortage of various fresh meats. I have shopped in Melville and Farmingdale supermarkets regularly for decades.

Except for superstorm Sandy, I cannot recall such empty meat shelves. It seems to this super-senior that if we’d stop anxiety-driven shopping and just get what we need on our regular shopping cycles, there would plenty for everyone. So now the initial shortages of toilet paper, bottled water and hand sanitizers have expanded.

Fruits and vegetables, though, appear to be in sufficient supply. Perhaps we do not take stock of healthy foods. Let’s all look forward to surviving this virus, thinking positive and getting back to our normal shopping and social ways. Without teamwork, the dogsled goes nowhere.

Mike Kaplow,

Huntington

I think we need to take a media holiday from the coronavirus. It is one thing to keep the public informed, but it is quite another to overload us with information that makes some people panic. One only need go to the local grocery store and see the empty shelves that the media-created panic caused.

Let’s take our finger off the panic button.

Bernie Bienwald,

Centerport

It appears that President Donald Trump has finally awakened to the reality of the global coronavirus pandemic and that it will create serious problems for our country. Unfortunately, he has never shown much regard for expertise. His entire administration is filled with family, friends and an ever-changing series of followers who hold temporary positions such as acting chief of this or that. Valuable time was been wasted as he remained blissfully unaware of what he should do to prepare our country.

Now, we are well behind the curve in having adequate testing and are woefully late in getting people to be serious about avoiding crowds. Our governors have been told they should buy needed hospital equipment themselves rather than having the federal government handle it. This president needs to spend less time praising himself, stop surrounding himself with fawning people, such as our vice president, and spend more time behaving more rationally.

Elaine Rauch,

Lynbrook

President Donald Trump said, “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators ... you’re going to major hospitals sometimes, they’ll have two ventilators. And now all of a sudden, they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’” [“Cuomo orders NY schools closed through April 15,” News, March 28]. We need to be prepared, and being shortsighted is dangerous now. To go back to work, people need to be alive. Hope is not a plan.

Back in 1975, a famous Daily News headline read: “Ford to city: Drop dead.” Now, in effect, it’s: “Trump to city: Drop dead.”

Steve Boyce,

Dix Hills

With millions forced to stay home, not knowing whether they will have a job when things return to some sort of normal, most of us are not comforted when a sports figure such as quarterback Tom Brady signs an inflated $50 million deal to throw a ball around for two seasons for Tampa Bay [“Tom’s decision meant TB,” Sports, March 21]. When does such insanity end?

Lynn Burke,

Seaford

Like many, I have been overwhelmed with anxiety, worse than any other crisis I experienced.

But this is today. We will return to normalcy. Our inability to be self-sufficient with medical supplies and necessities likely will never happen again. We are now gravely aware of our unfortunate dependence on foreign suppliers. But let us stop the blame game. After we were attacked at Pearl Harbor in 1941, a Japanese general stated he feared they had awakened a sleeping giant. The giant is awakened again, this time by a virus.

Be strong, be kind and do not be fearful. Today’s lessons will only make us stronger tomorrow.

Paul Shannon,

Massapequa Park