You’re terrific, Mayor Lightfoot, but now is no time to be getting your hair done

In my opinion, the mayor of Chicago is the best. If she ran for president, she would get my vote. Her reputation and ability to get things done is, as President Trump would say, tremendous, incredible. But this thing about the haircut puts a bit of tarnish on her bronze statue.

Her excuse was, “I’m in the public face of this city. I’m on national media. I’m out in the public eye. I take my personal hygiene very seriously I felt like I needed to have haircut.”

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Well, it’s kind of insulting to the rest of us. We don’t have personal hair dressers, so are we all slobs who don’t care? Most men and women take their hygiene very seriously, too. We face our fellow workers and families every day. But we also take the recommendations of the mayor and the governor very seriously. You tell us to stay in. We stay in.

We need haircuts, touch-ups, manicures and pedicures. While no photographers are taking photos of us for the newspapers, we still face others each day looking somewhat unkempt. Are we not important? I’m sure many of us could call our hairstylists and meet to get our haircuts behind closed doors. But we don’t because “we’re all in this together.”

If we are all in this together, then let the mayor get in the trenches and work with us. Look like us, a bit disheveled but clean, looking like we are taking a crisis seriously. Understand what we are all going through.

This is something I would expect from Trump. Not Mayor Lightfoot.

Jackie Tinker, Des Plaines

Support for Mount Sinai is overwhelming

We are living in troubling times. As the COVID-19 numbers continue to climb day after day, it would easy to be overcome by doubt and fear. But in the darkness of this pandemic, the light of humanity shines through. Heroes are everywhere.

At Sinai Health System and in hospitals throughout our city and state, our commitment is to take care of those in need. It has been truly inspirational to see the way our communities have stepped up to return this commitment, going the extra mile to take care of us.

The outpouring of support from community members and organizations, businesses and others has been remarkable. Donations of supplies, masks, gowns, food and funds have poured in from all directions. Construction contractors have donated protective gear like masks and face shields. Medical schools have donated surgical masks, gowns and gloves. Restaurant owners, already facing their own challenges, have brought in food for health care workers day after day.

And it’s not just large companies or big gestures. Small acts of kindness and caring abound from people in the community. The other day, a retired schoolteacher dropped off a card at Mount Sinai Hospital with a check for $100 and a simple message — “Thank you for all you are doing. You are angels.” Community members have posted signs in our garden and outside of other hospitals and health systems declaring “Heroes Work Here.” Indeed, they do.

Every day, dedicated caregivers show up at hospitals across the nation. They don their protective gear and go to the work of taking care of people who are scared and sick. They put in long hours on the front lines of the battle against this cruel and unforgiving virus. At the same time, food service workers, cleaning staff, security workers, greeters and maintenance teams also show up every day to keep their hospitals open and ensure there’s a place for those in need to go. They’re dedicated to their mission, now more than ever.

The next few weeks will be difficult, as COVID-19 cases reach a peak in Chicago and Illinois. The numbers will continue to rise, and things may seem dark. But if there’s any good to come out of this, it’s a reassurance that — even in our “socially distanced” existence — we can still all pull together. Our community has shown that we can all be heroes — for each other.

Karen Teitelbaum, president and CEO
Sinai Health System

We all need to wear a mask

My husband and I wear masks when we leave our home to buy groceries. We also wear masks when we go for a walk to stay healthy. People are outside without some cover of their nose and mouth on, and I have a problem with that. If I am wearing a mask to keep you healthy, why aren’t you wearing a mask to keep me healthy?

Melanie Lee MD, Lakeview