Donald Trump, Rebecca Jones deny COVID

Donald Trump says his use of social media, countering what he calls fake news, made him president. This morning, as I watched the DOW sink by more than 900 points (so much for his recovering economy), I came upon President Tweet’s latest rant:

“Covid, Covid, Covid is the unified chant of the Fake News Lamestream Media. They will talk about nothing else until November 4th, when the election will be (hopefully!) over. Then the talk will be how low the death rate is, plenty of hospital rooms, and many tests of young people.”

Today’s CDC Covid 19 report suggests talk after Election Day will be mostly about what a failure he has been in fighting the spread of the virus.

Here are the numbers for the last seven days:

More than 70,000 new cases per day in the United States

More than 4,000 new cases per day in California.

More than 1,000 new deaths in one day in the U.S.

Yesterday, the San Diego Public Health Services reported the City of San Marcos had a total of 1,283 cases.

Mayor Rebecca Jones has no Twitter account, but you can find her on Facebook, where her only mention of the virus is in her October 19 post, listing the rules for her Facebook visitors: “No politics, no Covid, no negativity.”

At the city’s website there’s a tab titled Coronavirus Disease Update, featuring a video message from the mayor, where she assures viewers:

-We are here, and we are prepared.

-You can rest assured that emergency services are fully operational.

-We are keeping as many City services available as possible.

-We also recognize the importance of supporting our residents AND our -businesses in order to keep our community strong.

-Our City is strong. Our country is strong. And we will prevail.

Click on a tab titled, What can I do to prevent getting Covid 19? and you will find this advice:

There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. Please follow all the steps outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to help protect yourself and others. You can view the latest guidelines and information here.

Mayor Jones, like President Tweet, doesn’t take leadership responsibility for urging her constituents to wear the face coverings that can stop the spread of the virus. Unlike the president, she provides a link to those who do.

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After 35 years in public education as a high school English teacher and university administrator, Richard Riehl began a second life as a freelance writer, winning San Diego Society of Professional Journalists awards for his opinion columns in the former San Diego daily North County Times and the San Diego Free Press. For more, visit The Riehl World.