Pamela Brant, in her letter of May 6, states that it is time to “begin our return to normal” and no longer continue to “quarantine” in Cumberland County.

A quarantine, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.”

Is Ms. Brant suggesting that people who have been exposed to COVID-19 – a virulently contagious disease that has killed more than a quarter-million people worldwide – should now be free to circulate widely in public, exposing everyone with whom they come in contact? Or is she confused about the actual public health measure that is in effect in Maine – the governor’s “stay at home” order, which defines and restricts essential travel and business activity?

Ms. Brant supports her argument for “returning to normal” with a peculiar comparison: that Cumberland County residents are four times more likely to die from cancer than from the virus. Since, however, cancer is not contagious, it is not at all clear how this is germane.

As the saying goes, Ms. Brant is entitled to her own opinions – but not to her own facts.

Ellen D. Murphy
Portland