Mark Wright: Children in school need protection from threat of the virus

To The Daily Sun,

There are a number of concerned citizens in Gilford who are in stark disagreement with the recent decisions about turning back the potential mitigations and protections of our children in our schools. Most of the children in the elementary school are not eligible for vaccinations and they are vulnerable to those adults in the school who have chosen not to be vaccinated and other children who come from homes that are not vaccinated.

It is naive to think that our children are not as vulnerable as the other thousands of children who are currently hospitalized and are dying at an increasing rate, due to COVID virus-related disease. What possible reasons do those who support this recession of protections have for their position that can equal the concern for the protection and health of our most prized blessings, our children.

The delta variant of the COVID virus is quickly becoming a dominant factor of infection of all ages, including our children and their teachers and staff at school. We cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand and expect this progressive threat to skip over Gilford like some type of hopscotch move and relieve us all of this worry. We must trust our scientists, who tell us that this is continuing to be an ever increasing fatal threat to us all, but especially to our children, who are innocent and don't have a choice of not attending school or making their environment safer. We need to make that choice for them; to protect them.

I earnestly request that the elected officials in Gilford reconsider their decisions and increase the protections and mitigations necessary for our children's safety. Mask wearing in the school building, distancing when possible, hand washing, screening at entrances, etc. should be reinstated and made mandatory.

Mark Wright

Gilford