Setting bad example

THUMBS DOWN: President Donald Trump put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the country’s response to COVID-19. One would hope that Pence earned that responsibility through his experience and good judgment in dealing with pandemics before.

But one could hardly tell that when Pence visited the Mayo Clinic this week. It is one of the world’s leading medical facilities, and playing a big role in the battle against the virus. It has a policy that all visitors must wear a face mask. Everyone there to greet Pence, and everyone in his entourage, was wearing a mask, but Pence did not. He later said he gets tested for the virus regularly and doesn’t have it, and thought it important for people to be able to look him in the eye.

It was an incredibly tone-deaf move for someone who is supposed to be setting an example of how Americans should be responding to the virus. Shame on him, and shame on the Mayo Clinic for not insisting that he mask up.

Busing in New Ulm

SIDEWAYS THUMB: The City of New Ulm wants your opinion on setting up a fixed-route bus service in New Ulm. Unlike the Heartland Express bus service, which picks up people who call for appointments, a fixed-route bus would follow a route on a certain schedule. People would wait at stops for a trip to wherever the bus was going.

If you want to let the city know how you feel, take the survey online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/New_Ulm_transit.

Keep guard up

SIDEWAYS THUMB: Gov. Tim Walz is slowly relaxing the restrictions on business and activities in response to the coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean people can let down their guards when it comes to social distancing, wearing protective gear like masks, and staying home, especially if you feel ill.

Minnesota has been experiencing its highest daily toll of deaths in the last week, evern as the governor has been announcing that certain businesses can reopen and people can resume some activities. Let’s work on re-opening our society, but do it with the care and caution that has help slow the spread of the disease up to now.