Letters to the editor: Schools must go online; lack of COVID tests; prosecuting criminals

Schools should go remote again

Across the entire Ventura County, COVID-19 cases are booming but what is contributing to those results? Despite the increase of COVID and its newly variant omicron, students returned to class in early January of this year. Colleges and universities have chosen to remain virtual as we have not seen a decrease in cases.

According to the CDC website, the CDC has remained strong in its COVID rules and regulations but has failed to make the same effort when it comes to our schools as they believe that students benefit more from in-person learning while maintaining distance and masks.

Since the reopening of K-12 school, the county’s COVID cases resulted in more than 700 cases per day and within the last few weeks of this month, over 9,000 residents have tested positive according to Ventura County Emergency. The results of COVID cases has caused a demand for at-home COVID tests as they are sold out all around Ventura County.

Early this month, Camarillo had planned a drive-through to provide families with at-home COVID tests and just as the idea may have been great, the outcome was ultimately a failure. The drive-through provided a limited amount of free COVID tests which caused a roar of traffic.

The traffic was far enough to reach highways, which then became a traffic safety concern. The safety concern resulted in Ventura County organizers sending cars away even before the drive-through started.

Even with these negative and booming results, schools remain open to everyone regardless of vaccination status. The high risk of COVID is a safety concern, and with the high demand of COVID tests and the actual amount of positive cases throughout the county should be just enough for these K-12 schools to finally shut down and remote to virtual learning.

Alexa Ramos, Camarillo

Tests aren’t reaching everyone

I understand the federal government has undertaken a great step in allowing people to place orders of the COVID-19 tests, to have a pack of four to be sent to a residency. In this time during the craze of omicron variant that is spreading at a wild rate, the tests will allow for discovery of someone infected with it and therefore subsequently quarantining. This will greatly hinder the spread of the virus and should protect those with immunocompromised systems or that have other circumstances that lead them to be more vulnerable.

Some issues with these orders though are I don’t believe it is reaching or is capable of reaching the full population. Issues I have heard about such that those who live in apartments had difficulty ordering a set of for their family due to an order already placed the address of the entire apartment. Another issue, such as one my family has encountered, is that multiple family units at a single address means that it is indeed first come first served. Whichever family ordered the tests would receive them as only one order is allowed per address.

This leads me to the fact, that I don’t believe the federal government went far enough and so I ask that our local government, city of Moorpark, step in. The city of Moorpark has been allocated roughly over 8 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act as stated in the special meeting of July 28, 2021.

With these funds, the city of Moorpark should allow individuals to come by the city hall, the library, the college, to receive few tests they can take home. This would allow those without traditionally addressed homes the opportunity to test themselves, to help keep others safe.

Omar Orozco, Moorpark

Newsom must punish criminals

Seeing Governor Newsom picking up trash from the railroad tracks in Los Angeles where thieves discarded the remnants of their plundering rail cars was only a photo op.

If the governor really wanted to do something about it, he should have went to L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon’s office and demanded he follow the law and prosecute criminals for all crimes, not Gascon-defined justice.

Saying we are going to fund more money for this problem means nothing and solves nothing if the criminals are not arrested and punished. Newsom’s actions are a joke.

Robert W. Coshland, Ventura

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Letters: Schools must go online; lack of COVID tests; prosecuting criminals