Monday, May 3, 2021 - 11:52 am To the Editor: Back in 1962, when James Meredith wanted to be the first black student enrolled at the University of Mississippi, Governor Ross Barnett, on the phone with President Kennedy, said “Now is not the time.” Kennedy answered: “When would be the time?” It is fair to ask the same question of today’s government officials when they say “Now is not the time” to let down our guard, to stop wearing masks, to gather together, or to travel freely. When would be the time? According to https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7014e1.htm there were “approximately” 3,358,814 deaths in the United States in 2020. COVID-19 was listed as the underlying or contributing cause of 377,883 of these deaths (114.4 per 100,000 population, or 1,032 deaths per day).