A different way to define 'freedom'

As senior residents of East Dundee, my husband and I read with interest - and dismay - the seeming "call-to-arms" by our erstwhile neighbor, state Rep. Alan Skillicorn, to choose "freedom" rather than comply with Gov. Pritzker's sensible plan to reopen Illinois once certain criteria have been met.

Given that Rep. Skillicorn is a young man, he might not understand how frightening it is for people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond to contemplate contracting COVID-19 knowing that elderly people do not have a high recovery rate. Just what sort of "freedom" is Skillicorn seeking? Freedom to eat in a restaurant? To stop wearing a mask? To get up-close and personal with his constituents?

Or does he merely want to curry favor with politicians and others who are foolishly opposed to trying to keep Illinois residents safe for a while longer because of "the economy." The day Skillicorn's letter was published, 54 more deaths were reported together with 1,266 new infections. However, it was also revealed that most experts believe the coronavirus to peak in mid-June.

We've come this far; let's be good citizens - and neighbors - and stay the course a while longer. Losing a paycheck does not compare with losing a loved one.

Marian Taylor

East Dundee