1,219,487, that's at least how many people died from covid-19 in the US alone (this number is widely thought to be under reported based on excess death rates), and countless more have been hindered and disabled from the long term effects. And it's still very much so here despite case counting stopping in April 2024, mask requirements being lifted, etc. It is currently the 4th leading cause of death in this country only exceeded by ALL cancers combined, ALL heart disease combined and all unintentional accidents combined and the only leading cause of death that you can infect someone else with. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
To put this number into perspective, the Giant Center seats 10,500 people. Covid-19 has killed at least 116 Giant Centers filled with people and permanently sickened or disabled many more. That number would be significantly less had people like Tucker Carlson not had the platform they did and do.
Tucker Carlson calls Covid 19 "the great sorting" which is a fog horn (let's be honest its not a dog whistle) for eugenics. He has contributed heavily to anti-vax Ideology, never once did he try to educate people that MRNA vaccines were in the works and studied for 40 years pre covid-19, but he did liken the roll out and mandates of them to the Nuremberg trials. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/22/tucker-carlson-compares-us-vaccine-mandates-nazi-medical-experiments He claimed and heavily pushed that masks don't work and that they're child abuse. He pushed people to not only not protect themselves, but not protect others including and especially children who are defenseless. Most of our local elected officials also picked up and espoused this rhetoric, there were many people with signs in their yards saying that masks are child abuse, my governor is an idiot, transphobia towards Dr. Levine was rampant. The anti-mask rhetoric is so virulent here that we've had people shopping with their guns in plain sight maskless threatening to shoot people who asked them to mask, to this day people who have medical issues or want to protect people with medical issues can't go in public wearing a mask without being harassed and this includes medical facilities of all places.
The point being Tucker Carlson has already done so much damage to this area in regards to destroying any sense of community and flat out fooling people into not protecting themselves or others against serious illness or death. The medically complex people still have to risk severe illness or injury going out anywhere outside their home including and especially to medical facilities because of the rhetoric Tucker Carlson spread so effectively.
Hershey Entertainment and Resorts is stoking these flames that have burned and scarred so many and it certainly appears as if they just don't care.
As a personal PSA Covid-19 isn't over, the medically complex and fragile still need to be protected, Covid-19 can also cause anyone to become medically complex and fragile with a single infection. Be smart, be safe, protect your health it is absolutely irreplaceable.
Let HE&R know what you think.
Contact ALL THREE of these individuals.
John Lawn, President of the Board jlawn@hersheypa.com
Leslie Ferraro, vice president of the Board Iferraro@hersheypa.com
And Vikki Hultquist, VP of Hersheypark and Entertainment operations vhultquist@hersheypa.com
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*Letters to the editor and op-ed pieces are being published! Keep it up!
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