After a long year of dealing with an unwanted pandemic, with no clear end in sight, we absolutely can’t give up on the progress we’ve already made.
We must continue health-positive habits, like wearing masks, keeping our distance and sanitizing routinely. We need to keep staying safe, even at the cost of our prolonged discomfort.
Moscow was one of the first cities in Idaho to enforce social distancing with the law after the stay-at-home mandate ended in late April. Moscow City Supervisor Gary Riedner said, the main reason the Moscow City Council decided to stick with a social distancing mandate rather than a recommendation until next year is because even after making it to Stage 4 of Idaho Rebounds, Idaho is still in a state of emergency.
Another major factor was the written support for the mandate from several major organizations within the Moscow community, including Gritman Medical Center, University of Idaho, Moscow School District and Public Health — Idaho North Central District (PHINCD). Several letters were sent to city council before their Sept. 21 meeting, where they voted to extend the mandate until Jan. 5.
In Gritman’s letter to the city council, the president and CEO, Kara Besst, as well as the chief medical officer, John Brown, expressed their full support for extension of the mandate, stating “simple measures and acts of kindness” to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were for the greater good of the community.
Director of PHINCD Carol Moehrle sent a letter encouraging the city council to make the vote to extend the order, emphasizing that science works, and stating the current safety measures “remains our most successful mitigation strategies in preventing the spread of this virus.”
Trial and error have only served to support the science behind wearing masks and social distancing. There are numerous indications that prove to stay six feet apart and wearing face-covering works to prevent the spread of the virus, and the majority of this evidence is right underneath our noses.
Idaho’s total COVID-19 cases dropped significantly lower after the stay-at-home order was put in place. As Idaho moved through the phases, cases began to consistently rise as more people began to continue with a semi-normal life. This shows the virus doesn’t spread when we don’t give it the chance, by keeping our distance from each other.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the general public should be wearing masks as a form of “source control,” which means limiting the number of respiratory droplets and possibility of spreading the virus in the air.
“The evidence is overwhelming of how social distancing and wearing masks are the strongest deterrents in spreading the COVID-19 virus,” Moscow School District Superintendent Gregory Bailey stated in his letter supporting the extension of the mandate.
UI President Scott Green wrote the decision to extend the mandate would be in line with the decisions being made at the university, stating UI will continue to require face coverings until the threat of COVID-19 subsides.
Our community has done an amazing job at keeping this virus at bay this far into the pandemic because we have continued to care about one another.
Keep your distance, wear a mask and continue to stay one step ahead of COVID-19. Moscow has come this far, we can’t stop now. Stay safe.
-Editorial board