Readers Speak: Gyms should remain open despite coronavirus pandemic

Why are gyms put into the same context as restaurants when they are completely opposite?

I cannot speak for restaurants but I have been going to the gym since they were allowed to open and guess what: There is nobody there! The gyms are basically empty. There are more people at the grocery store than at gyms.

The gym is a place to stay healthy and keep our sanity and there is plenty of room for social distancing. We are not on top of each other or breathing hard next to each other as the article implies.

Please allow the gyms to remain open. It is the only place we can try and stay healthy in this time of insanity.

Robert Scandura, Glastonbury

Like other letter writers, I applaud the Courant for adding new voices to the Op-Ed page. Both Jonah Goldberg and Ross Douthat are well-reasoned, conservative opinion writers.

Victor Davis Hanson also has written excellent columns, but I find his allegiance to Donald Trump puzzling. Even so, his viewpoints usually have some merit — one just has to put them in the right context. We can disagree with Op-Eds and their authors, but arbitrarily removing them will not allow for the development of reasonable counterarguments.

I don’t necessarily agree with everything E.J. Dionne writes — advocating court packing for instance — but I hope I’m more aware for having read his columns.

John Gallup, South Windsor

It seems that whenever there is “Pandemic Mania,” the first target for local and state government is the restaurant industry.

Close the bars, reduce indoor capacity, and on and on.

There are thousands of people employed in the restaurant industry and many of us want to dine out and support these establishments. Many workers are out of work or working limited hours.

Most restaurants have followed the many restrictions imposed on them; while only a few have been guilty of not following guidelines. Punish the culprits and relax the restrictions on the ‘good guys.’

If the local, state and federal governments don’t come up with relief packages and allow 75% occupation, many of your favorite dining options will be closed and won’t come back.

Our governor is blind to this serious problem.

It’s time we help the industry.

Jonathan Goldstein, Bloomfield

Regarding Ward O’Neill’s letter to the editor [courant.com, Nov. 28, “Enforce traffic laws”], he is spot on about lack of traffic law enforcement. He specifically mentions West Hartford. I bet that Middletown has his town beat — drivers feel free to go any speed, ignore stop signs, no passing zones and crosswalks, and believe that when approaching a traffic light, yellow means to speed up.

Neither the Middletown mayor nor the police department seem to have any concern for pedestrians, strollers, bicyclists, or anyone trying to be a safe driver. We need safe streets throughout the state.

As Gordon Gekko famously said in the movie “Wall Street”: “A fool and his money were lucky to get together in the first place.”

I can’t help but think he was referring to anyone donating to President Donald Trump to overturn the election. Of all his grifts and cons, this is the most obvious money grab of all.

Instead of giving in to such a blatant scam, save your money, pay your rent, feed your family and get health insurance because if you run short, I can guarantee you, he isn’t going to help.

Martin Woods, West Hartford