By Archie L. Thomas, Corvallis
I have a friend living in Melbourne, Australia with a population in excess of 2 million and one new covid case over the weekend as they start to open their economy again. Ravalli county, with a population of 44,000, had 13 new cases this weekend.
Your favorable comparison of Ravalli county vs other Montana counties is similar to grading a class on the curve system. Touting the merits of a student as being more informed than the least informed student in a class of the “uninformed” has got to be a joke. The residents of this county are not stupid nor are you but it would be much more useful if you pursued an informed world view of covid reality.
Ravalli county residents’ level of covid success is in spite of the commissioners’ action or inaction. The county health board members, nurses and local medical staff’s ACTIONS in combination with county residents adhering to published guidelines have produced present results.
In addition, attempting to take a victory lap without knowing how much time is left in the game or when covid will end confirms that you, as a representative of county leadership, are a greater part of the problem than the solution.
County residents expect better leadership going forward.