Did Churchill give his “We will never surrender” speech from a bunker? No, but didn’t give it standing in the open on the front lines of active battle either (“Let’s put this sorry chapter behind us,” letter, May 24). Gen. MacArthur was brave, but he wasn’t stupid.

We are not afraid hiding in our bunkers from coronavirus. We are staying in our homes, where we raised our children and live our lives. We are being intelligent and caring, both for ourselves and for our loved ones, be they family, friends or neighbors.

Across our country and our world we are practicing social distancing and it has made a difference. We have not done it perfectly. We have listened to the best knowledge of our best leaders of science and medicine. We might have done better if we had listened more closely and sooner, but we could have done very much worse.

We now begin to re-open, but I hope with care from what we are learning. It should be a different world and we should continue to care for all around us. We should return to a new normal, guided by science and combined with love for all. We should be vigilant to insure we don’t reopen to a storm. Make this into a sad but good chapter in our history.

Mark Ohlson

Winslow