Letters to the Editor: L.A. is blowing its chance to have open trails and beaches during a pandemic

To the editor: Have I lost my mind? Reading about the closure of Eaton Canyon because of overcrowding and people hiking bare-faced, I am trying to figure out why masks and social distancing create so much anger and malice.

It is as though adults have regressed to an adolescent stage when you cannot tell them what to do, even if it supports not getting stricken with a dangerous and life-threatening illness like COVID-19. If they have regressed to adolescence, are they just rebelling?

The two most important rules to follow are to stay at least six feet away from others and to cover your nose and mouth. How much simpler could it be?

Now is not the time to regress with potentially dangerous consequences, but rather look forward to a healthy and safe future for everyone.

Ellen Faulk, Santa Monica

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To the editor: It occurred to me while reading about noncompliance with the rules on social distancing and face masks, I may have missed something when last reviewing the 1st Amendment.

Some citizens demand the premature opening of businesses and recreational venues, with increased infection rates guaranteed, and others refuse to wear masks in public.

So I checked, and there it was. According to my handy pocket Constitution, following the rights of speech, religion and assembly was the right to be stupid. I stand corrected.

Kerry Burnside, La Habra

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To the editor: My wife and I, both in our mid 60s, live in Riverside County. My wife really misses the ocean, so on May 24 we drove through the beautiful Santa Ana Mountains I love into Orange County, just to look at the ocean from our car.

We saw crowded beaches and picnic areas. There was scant compliance with rules on distancing and masks. Title this scene, “The Unmasque of the Red Death.”

People will probably die because of this, some of whom weren’t even there. At the grocery just this week, for the first time I saw many people shopping without wearing masks. I am actually afraid now.

Terri Reeves, Lake Elsinore