I came home yesterday after another unnerving day as a registered nurse in the hospital. I sat down to read the local news, and while reading another article about anti-mitigation protests, a sense of foreboding set in.

Almost all health care providers enter their respective professions out of compassion and altruism. These values extend to everyone in our community, including the protesters, who absolutely have a right to advocate for their businesses and livelihoods, as long as they aren’t harming others.

Here’s my plea: My work in the hospital not only puts myself at risk, but also my family, including my two young daughters. Please demonstrate in a way that honors the CDC recommendations (wear a mask, maintain 6-foot distance).

This way you can hold government accountable while not endangering health care workers like me. We have to care for everyone; we can’t choose to withhold care because you acted recklessly.

Be responsible, and the community at-large will take you more seriously and you’ll get buy-in from a larger segment of the local population. Shaking hands and not wearing masks only detracts from your credibility. Heck, buy some Trump-print fabric and sew some patriotic Trump masks — whatever it takes. Just please take precautions, I beg you. Be smart!

I’m a political moderate, even have some anti-government views of my own, but COVID-19 is not political. Janet Mills is not your enemy regarding COVID-19; she is following the recommendations of the Maine CDC, an agency that acts solely in the interests of population health.

Everyone in society, except maybe Jeff Bezos, is suffering right now in different ways. I empathize with business owners, and my hope is that through innovation and understanding government will expedite plans to let businesses with sound COVID-19 transmission-prevention strategies to open before it’s too late.

Tom Vatistas MSN, RN, CCRN

Readfield