Wear the mask – all our lives depend on it

Posted 7/3/20

The World Health Organization has asked that everyone wear a mask.

The Centers for Disease Control has begged people to wear masks.

Vice President Pence took to the airwaves and told …

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Wear the mask – all our lives depend on it

Posted

The World Health Organization has asked that everyone wear a mask.

The Centers for Disease Control has begged people to wear masks.

Vice President Pence took to the airwaves and told Americans that they need to wear a mask.

Sen. Doug Jones has released a television ad urging everyone across the state to cover their face. His political rival, Jeff Sessions is touting the same message: wear the mask.

The Alabama Department of Public Health is practically begging people to simply put it on.

The studies are in. The masks work, but only if everyone is wearing them.

Several universities across the U.S. have conducted experiments using high-speed video found that hundreds of droplets ranging from 20 to 500 micrometers were generated when saying a simple phrase, but that nearly all these droplets were blocked when the mouth was covered.

Another study of people who had influenza or the common cold found that wearing a surgical mask significantly reduced the amount of these respiratory viruses emitted in droplets and aerosols.

The number of deaths in 198 countries where masks were worn are significantly lower than places like the U.S. where the mask or no mask debate has become a hill that people are willing to literally die on. 

Yet in Baldwin County stores and restaurants are full of smiling, uncovered faces.

At local political and business events, including high profile ribbon cuttings, the only masked people in the sea of faces were the members of the media. 

Lawyers, politicians, doctors, nurses, medical professionals – all unmasked – all who should be setting an example for the public as leaders of our community.

Until Memorial Day Baldwin County was doing well. Our daily Covid-19 case numbers barely budged. We remained a safe place on the map of danger zones where the virus was raging.

At the two week mark after that holiday, when our beach communities surged with visitors and families broke free from their quarantine chains, Baldwin County’s numbers began to climb.

On June 8, exactly two weeks after Memorial Day, Baldwin County cases jumped from 0 a day to five, then six, then 13, seven and 11.

Today those numbers look mild. On June 25 there were 39 new cases; June 26 there were 43, June 27 another 24. On June 28 Baldwin County hit an all-time high of 57 new cases. There were 39 more on June 29 and another 23 on June 30.

Tomorrow is July 4th. A day to celebrate our Independence. A day that naysaying keyboard warriors declare is made more meaningful as they exercise their freedom to not wear the mask in public.

Friends. Fellow Americans. Despite patriotic claims that is the most foolish, most unpatriotic declaration you could possibly make.

Baldwin County was doing great. We were able to open our businesses and put our neighbors back to work. All we had to do is remain vigilant and wear the masks.

Now, instead, restaurants are closing to clean and reopen after employees test positive. City offices are closed because of positive cases. More people are at risk, more people may be positive and asymptomatic, wandering without a mask and spreading it by simply greeting their neighbor hello.

If you want to stand for something this July 4th put the safety and lives of your fellow Americans at the top of your priority list. Wear the mask - every single time you are out in public near others.

Just simply put it on.

For your neighbors, for America and for yourself, and the life that may ultimately depend on it, may end up being your own.