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OPINION: Fontones: The politicization of COVID-19 takes away from what's really important

Pocono Record - 9/13/2020

Sep. 13--In this week's Group Editorial, a group of Pocono Record readers were free to sound off on the impacts the pandemic has had in the Poconos.

Reader Bill Maughan posited that the COVID-19 pandemic will not be the worst public health issue we've faced as a nation, and while I personally do not agree, I couldn't deny the other half of his argument: "In this bleak reality, it is the American character that will prevail."

Maughan's argument was centered on the phenomena of American perseverance, and it's ability to carry us through dark times. He felt that the rights of Americans have been intruded upon by government during the pandemic, but it was our character that would eventually pull us through this as a nation.

Reader William Gore Jr. chose to mull the future after the pandemic recedes from memory. "The decisions of the last six months have changed America and it's future." He wrote. Gore also focused on how we can shape the great leaders of tomorrow, so that solutions could be truly achieved during our next crisis.

Another key idea was clear: the pandemic has become politicized. To quote Dan Pryor, a reader and longtime letter-writer who participated in our first round of group editorials, the pandemic has become a "political football to be kicked back and forth."

With the impending election, it seems the political "usefulness" of the pandemic has become apparent to political camps of every persuasion. I'm noticing campaign ads criticizing the federal government's handling of COVID-19, even though much of the authority to organize COVID-19 response was left to the states. We continue to see backlash against Wolf's actions in Pennsylvania, even though Pa. has made enough progress that even the White House had touted the state's actions.

RELATED: White House coronavirus expert says Pa. has controlled pandemic

We can applaud the early and strict interventions of the Wolf Administration, while at the same time critique a lack of consistency in Harrisburg. I can't help but raise an eyebrow at the packed parking lots in our local strip malls and wonder why I had to postpone my wedding because it exceeded the 25-person indoor gathering cap. (Have you noticed it feels like Black Friday every weekend in Monroe County? The weekends are starting to feel like Ground Hog Day and God forbid I wake up looking like Bill Murray.) Despite the summer traffic, Monroe County is still reporting low case numbers. This is a miracle compared to where we were in March and April.

READ MORE: Uncertainty, fear and hope: Life in the Poconos after onset of COVID-19

We've seen backlash from everyone: Either the state is intervening too much, or not enough. Many have used the pandemic in one way or the other to bolster their political interests.

Criticizing our democrat governor, whose measured actions and restrictions have saved thousands of lives, may work well for Pennsylvanian republicans who are campaigning to get President Trump reelected. Criticizing the Trump administration, who, despite Trump's critical jabs at governors in the northeast, largely left our state government to it's own devices (the Republican thing to do!) might be what some democrats want to hear.

No matter what side you're on, it's just in poor taste. Don't fall for it. -- Ashley Catherine Fontones is the Managing Editor at the Pocono Record.

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