Better careful than sorry

Eight months ago Barb and I cut short our vacation and raced home to take shelter.

It was a scary time. So much about the pandemic was unknown. We kept to ourselves, wore masks when necessary, and carried on with our lives as best we could.

At the time, however, Covid pretty much remained a problem elsewhere. A lot of Montanans began to doubt the threat the virus posed. They railed against health measures they said weren’t needed.

Reports that coronavirus affected primarily the elderly fueled their skepticism. Folks continued to gather in large groups, rarely wore masks, and called for life to...