Letters to the Editor: April 3

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Running empty city buses

I have to ask the question. With the COVID-19 outbreak and stay-at-home rules, why are the large and expensive Woodstock Transit buses running late at night six days a week?

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Stores that are still open close around 6 p.m., so why run buses until 9 p.m.?

Shouldn’t the city be offering reduced service, including reducing the number of buses running per day? Of course, we still require some sort of service, but not regular service. It’s not unusual to see buses running with fewer than two people, if any. The taxpayers of this city could use the savings in these challenging times.

Roger Masson

Woodstock

Driver licences not being issued for a reason

I wish to respond to the letter to the editor last week suggesting the government should issue licences during this time to new drivers since the roads aren’t so busy for them to learn on.

As a police officer and concerned citizen, this would be a disservice since everyone should be staying home at this time.

Learning to drive is not essential. Collisions still happen, even with less traffic.

The other day while working, my co-worker responded to a collision that involved a driver who was “bored” while self-isolating. The driver ended up in a collision, which put everyone involved physically at risk as we don’t know who is carrying the virus.

Please everyone just stay home. There will be a lot of time after this is over to practise driving. Let’s just practise what health officials are asking – social distancing and self-isolation.

Michelle Murphy

Woodstock 

It’s not like the flu

I’m astounded someone would assume that because it’s flu season, COVID-19 is like the flu. Have you not been watching the news, checking reliable sources online?

Look at Italy. They are admitting if they had dealt with this earlier, they would not have the high number of deaths.

What Canada is doing is preventing the virus from spreading exponentially, which is happening to many countries in Europe. Countries all over the world are doing everything they can to slow the spread this deadly disease. Wake up.

Vera Rowland

London

Bible had it first

It was interesting to read the article Above all, do no harm. But back then, wash your hands (March 24) about Ignaz Semmelweis, the Hungarian doctor who, in 1847, discovered the role of clean hands as a way to stop the spread of infection.

He could have discovered that by reading the Bible, written thousands of years ago. The Bible includes dozens of instructions, including the book of Leviticus, Chapter 15, on causes of physical uncleanness and the steps needed to be taken to be protected from the spread of infection. The information was there for our use.

Ron Pope

Ingersoll

Please, tell us how

We need a forum led by someone from Chrystia Freeland’s office where employees and employers can get answers to questions such as:

Should I apply for employment insurance or the Canada Response Benefit for $2,000?

Should my employer be applying for the wage subsidy that covers 75 per cent of their payroll?

Would that mean I do nothing and wait for my paycheque?

What obligation does an employer have?

What do these forms look like? Can you download them? Would I be better off mailing my claim? Do I need a stamp? What’s the address?

Step up, Postmedia. Many Canadians are getting hungry because the world has changed.

Beth McCracken

London