Wow. Rachel Weiner + Ariana Cha reported via The Washington Post today the following story:
For Lauri Jones, the trouble began in early May. The director of a small public health department in western Washington State was working with a family under quarantine because of coronavirus exposure. When she heard one family member had been out in the community, Jones decided to check in. “Someone posted on social media that we had violated their civil liberties [and] named me by name,” Jones recalled. “They said, ‘Let’s post her address . . . Let’s start shooting.’ ”
People from across the country began calling her personal phone with similar threats.
“We’ve been doing the same thing in public health on a daily basis forever. But we are now the villains,” said Jones, 64, who called the police and set up surveillance cameras at her home.
The outlet has also reported that Nichole Quick, Orange County’s chief health officer, stepped down after she faced threats and protests at her home for requiring face coverings in many businesses as cases rose. The mandate, issued May 23, was softened to a recommendation a week later.
As folks in the U.S.A. still struggle to find a mutual consensus regarding re-opening safety guidelines, this is troubling to hear. Are we to trust our doctors to report the science or are we to trust our news anchors who make commentary on the reported information? Hmmm.
