Mask Mandate
Dear Editor: What I want to focus on in this letter is why the Sitka Assembly should not punt mandating masks by saying that people will do the right thing. That hasn’t worked. It has been clear from the start of this pandemic that there are small, but loud, groups of people who are convinced of their own special truths – the rest of us be damned.
For some their own truth is that the science supporting the benefits of masks, their effectiveness, and COVID more broadly, is a conspiracy. Supporting this conspiracy requires contortions of logic, an amalgamation of quotes taken out of context, and self proclaimed experts. These conspiracies only work with the complicity of the members of our medical community. I have read a lot of what people have provided to the Sitka Assembly to support their conspiracy-laden public testimony. I can tell you that it is a pile of horse poop.
It baffles me that some people put any stock in internet “research” yielding these outlandish theories. All they need to do is look around at what is happening – in particular look at the at-capacity hospitals in communities in this state where masks and vaccinations are shunned. I’ll tell you though – the villainization of the health care community in these conspiracies is unforgivable. Our healthcare workers have been on the front line throughout this pandemic. They are exhausted and burned out. Shame on the people who concoct their own reality at the expense of these good people. The Assembly cannot expect the people who see a bizarre conspiracy in masks to do what is right. It can’t. For now the tin foil hat crowd needs to be told what to do. Hopefully they can move their ridiculous energies onto trying to convince the rest of us that the Earth is flat – that doesn’t impact public health.
Another reason why just asking people to do the right thing won’t work is some people do not understand “freedom.” Freedom to some apparently means not giving a darn about how their actions impose on others. Those who don’t wear a mask because of “freedom” are clinging to a misguided meaning of that word. This is because people aren’t free to do whatever the heck we want. For the safety of others, and ourselves, governmental bodies pass all sorts of laws. One is not allowed to drive 50 miles per hour in front of the school when the kids are being let out. Asking people to drive at a sensible speed when children are present in a school zone isn’t sufficient. Likewise, driving under the influence is illegal. Sure, some people may think that they drive just fine, if not better, with a good buzz. Driving buzzed is not recognized as within the bounds of our freedom.
To be clear, I cherish my freedom. The reality is that everyone’s freedom is enhanced by rational sensible laws that curtail behavior that can be damaging to others or that mandate actions for the greater good. When COVID numbers are high everyone is more free in a community where masks are worn in public because this reduces the chance of getting COVID. Simple. This ordinance is about more freedom for all of us, not less. Sadly some people don’t see it this way and need to be told to wear a mask so that we can all have this freedom.
One last point to make on how the concept of freedom intersects with this a mask mandate – wearing a mask is a minor imposition on an individual. So incredibly minor that people who argue against masking for “freedom’s” sake need to put this minor imposition on a slippery slope with tyranny at its bottom bend. Yes, all government, even ours, can end in tyranny. But the slippery slope argument has to be put in the big picture. The slope a mask ordinance is on doesn’t have a 45 degree angle that is greased. A mask ordinance does not put us a hiccup away from tyranny. Masking is less intrusive than other laws on the books that impinge on personal freedoms to protect others.
I don’t need an ordinance mandating masks to tell me how to do the right thing. To me it is obvious. I wear a mask to protect myself and others. Unfortunately there is a small group of people who do need an ordinance to tell them how to do the right thing. I urge the Sitka Assembly, please show the community of Sitka that you care about our health, that you reject conspiracy B.S., and that you support a rational concept of freedom for all. Please pass ordinance 2021-32 unanimously.
Brent Edwards, Sitka
Thankful
Dear Editor: Recently I had a breakthrough case of COVID that put me into Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital for five days. I was fully vaccinated and had taken care to mask and social distance, but it happened. Everyone told me how lucky it was I was vaccinated, or the outcome may have been different.
It was not luck; it was a community pulling together to make sure as many people as wanted got the vaccine. So, my first thanks go to White’s Alaska and their pharmacies and to SEARHC for getting the vaccine out efficiently.
While in the hospital I became quickly aware of the effort people had to put out just to enter my room. It took the better part of 10 minutes to apply all the protective gear to keep hospital staff safe from me, a ticking germ bomb. Every time someone came into my room, I felt that they were risking their health and the health of their families, yet they continued to come to take care of me. Nurses, nurses aids, phlebotomist who drew blood, respirational therapists, room cleaners, doctors, X-ray techs and PAs. They all came in, cheerfully, professionally and with great kindness. Behind them were lab techs, ward clerks, pharmacists, dietitians, and patient advocates. They were a team that functioned to provide seamless service.
When I got out, community members were ready to run errands for Suzi and me like picking up food or getting the mail while we completed our isolation. Thank you, everyone, from the administrators who coordinate it all and help build the team to the folks on the floor who took such good care of me and my fellow patients to friends and neighbors who daily build our sense of community. Gunalchéesh,
Rich McClear, Sitka
