Staying healthy most important

Two items of interest in this past week’s Californian struck me as being very problematic for our community. The first was the notice that the National Guard had been called in to assist with the overflow of COVID patients in local hospitals. This is tragic news in itself, as it puts us in the same category as other areas of the U.S. with high rates of infections in non-vaccinated individuals. (This was re-enforced by Robert Price’s article Sunday.)

The second was a reminder in the same Sunday edition that the fair was opening in a few days with no COVID restrictions. Posted warning signs and additional hand washing stations will not be a deterrent to the spread of the virus. This is another tragedy lurking to make our COVID situation worse.

For many years I happily volunteered to work in one of the most successful food and drink booths at the fair. We constantly have lines at the food counter and crowds at the drink stand. This year, however, the leaders of our organization determined, rightfully so, that our group will not open our concession because conditions at the fair could be detrimental to the health of our volunteers and patrons. Our group relies on fair income for a large part of its budget. However, some things, such as staying healthy, are more important than financial gain.

— Steve Bass, Bakersfield