The year 2020 seems to be a series of never-ending unexpected events. Australia experienced a catastrophic fire season, a “murder hornet” scare rocked the U.S., COVID-19 , turned from a regional tragedy to a global pandemic and after the death of George Floyd, the U.S. experienced a continuing resurgence of Black Lives Matter protests.
Much of that is not going away — especially COVID-19.
I’ll admit when the pandemic first appeared on my radar, I was appalled at the idea of everything shutting down and everyone needing to wear a face mask in public.
Honestly, I’m not good with change. But I can adapt and I have. Even though it took some getting used to, I like wearing my Pennywise-themed face mask in public now. And I know it’s the right thing to do.
Just like other Idahoans, I was excited to see businesses back open during Idaho Rebounds Stage Four, so I began going out to eat at restaurants again and even went to the Boise mall.
But as I stood in the mall and looked around me, not many people were wearing face masks. Some even gave me and my friend weird looks for wearing ours. A friend told me she was the only one wearing a face mask at a wedding, where there was no social distancing.
This is unacceptable.
Even though Idaho is in Stage Four of reopening, the virus hasn’t left. It is still here and is spreading at a faster rate. As The Argonaut previously reported, “Idaho barely met criteria for Stage Four” in June. Current COVID-19 case numbers can be found on our case count page, although as of June 30, Idaho had 6,164 confirmed and possible COVID-19 cases.
These numbers been going up every day and everything reopening just increases the risk of catching COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest people wear face masks when going into public. Some businesses are requiring face coverings be worn in their buildings.
That’s not a bad thing.
Of course, the counter argument to my claim are the people saying face masks are unconstitutional and don’t align with our American rights.
Wearing a face mask isn’t that complicated. Wearing a face mask is respectful. It protects others more than it protects yourself. And shouldn’t we all care about one another, especially during a pandemic?
Reusable face masks don’t cost much and if you are low on funds, you can easily make one at home with some fabric.
If everyone wore a face mask everywhere they went, our numbers wouldn’t be getting so high. Maybe COVID-19 would be gone by now if we had.
I urge you, when given the choice, wear a face mask. By doing this small act of kindness, you will help stop the spread.
Lindsay Trombly can be reached at [email protected]
John O'Dowd
Lindsay, I hope you will listen to or read the transcript of this podcast from the Center for Infectious Disease Research Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/podcasts-webinars/special-ep-masks This is one of the few objective science-based reviews available on the efficacy of surgical and cloth face masks. Wearing such a mask is not a "bad" thing, but it also has very limited proven effect. Covid-19 is just doing what viruses do, spreading through its host. There is no way to "stop the spread" of the virus, only slow it down, i.e. flattening the curve. A flatter curve does not have a different area under the curve (total number of cases), just a different shape, in this case fewer daily cases for a longer period of time. Flattening the curve below the level of overwhelming the health care system is desirable. Face coverings may be a small part of accomplishing that goal, but only a very, very small part. Relying on marginally effective face masks as a panacea will accelerate Covid-19 spread, not reduce it. The Argonaut sharing the CIDRAP review with its readers might be a step in the right direction.