Each day, my dismay increases as I see the numbers of COVID-19 illnesses and deaths among the unvaccinated grow. For the United States and all its citizens to return to “normal,” for us all to be confidently safe and healthy, people must get vaccinated. That’s all people — save those who have a medical condition that precludes getting the vaccine.
I say this as a member of a community — and communities have always had rules to govern our behavior. Vaccination — and the proof of vaccination — should be required to freely participate in the life of the community. No vaccination? No license renewal. No vaccination? No dining out. No vaccination? No attendance at any gathering — sports, concerts, movie theaters, live theaters, schools, churches, pools, beaches, lakes — any gathering. Your vaccination is your ticket to participate — a passport to a full and interactive life. Your vaccination is a declaration that you care about your community’s health.
Denying the unvaccinated the right to circulate among members of the community is wise, not punitive. After all, the unvaccinated have already demonstrated their indifference to their community’s welfare.
John R. Scannell, Sammamish