In regard to the COVID-19 virus, all officials share a responsibility to exercise diligence. That includes everyone from government officials to ministers of churches. If they deliberately, and with foreknowledge, decline to exercise diligence, they may be liable for civil and/or criminal charges for reckless behavior if someone becomes ill or dies. People should keep that in mind.

Mayor George Flaggs Jr., for one, is carrying out his responsibilities in exercising diligence.

The data from Europe shows that the fatality rate from the virus may reach 10 percent — that has been the case in Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, in the later case exceeding 10 percent.

Pandemic models have indicated that, if left unchecked, over 2 million deaths would result in the United States.

The virus is highly contagious.

The CDC backtracked to identify a source in Chicago. A person with a mild case attended a dinner, a funeral, a birthday party, and church services, infecting people at all those events, many of whom died.

The sheltering in place requirements are temporary.

Queen Elizabeth, in an address to the British people, noted that we have been through hard times before. We will get through this.

 

Fred Camfield

Vicksburg