What’s the fear behind the mask?

Ifind it difficult to understand those who argue against wearing a mask in public places (when shopping, for example) or fail to respect calls for social distancing. Somehow they believe that these two measures to help contain the spread of the corona virus abridge their human rights and they refuse to comply.

How could these particular requirements†cause them to feel aggrieved?

Do they resent traffic lights that require them to stop their vehicles?

Do they feel unduly constrained by a prohibition on murder?

Do they consider counterfeiting currency a right?

Do they feel the prohibition against young children working constrains their businesses?

Do they take umbrage from health requirements applied to food they consume?

Do they object to the prohibition of outhouses in urban settings and municipalities mandating that residences be hooked up to the sewage systems?

The requirements to wear masks in public spaces and to practice social distancing are part of a concerted effort to protect people from an extremely virulent virus that has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide.

As one commentator said “Refusing to wear a mask is equivalent to driving while intoxicated.”

Refusal to comply with Public Health directives hurts the violator but it also imposes unreasonable costs on others.

In Kelowna last month, hosts of two private parties and management at several commercial establishments allowed people to ignore the constraints and, as a result, about 1,000 people have had to self-isolate for 14 days.

Finding all those people (by contact tracing) does not just happen by itself.

It requires trained people dedicated to tracing all contacts of everyone at the site of these events and then instructing them to self-quarantine.

Moreover, there should be follow-up on each of these individuals to make sure they are not violating their quarantine.

Some commentators have ventured the opinion that those protesting the public health directives regarding masks and social distancing are motivated by a lack of trust in government and therefore public health officials.

Such mistrust is apparently rampant in the U.S. these days but less so in Canada.

But there apparently remains a small group convinced that some sort of evil conspiracy is motivating the push for masks and social distancing.

My questions are:

If such a conspiracy exists, what is its objective?

Is it to obliterate individual identity by requiring people to wear a mask?

Or is it perhaps they hope to change the effectiveness of groups†advocating some policy change by government that the believers do not want?

What, if any, evidence exists to support the conspiracy theory?

As is the case with most conspiracies, evidence has not been produced. But believers just counter that the conspiracyís organizers are extremely clever in hiding their methods and objectives.

There is, in fact, no effective way to convince believers that such conspiracies exist only in their minds.

Unfortunately, this leaves public health officials and governments little option but to impose fines and other compulsory measures in order to combat the virus.

Think of the idiots in Ontario who flagrantly ignored the government rules regarding social distancing and the wearing of masks at a huge private party.

As the Premier of Ontario asked, “What were these people thinking?”

I would ask if they were capable of thinking or did they somehow believe that the rules did not apply to them?

Given statements by government officials regarding these incidents, substantial fines , (something in excess of several thousand dollars) and perhaps jail time should act as a deterrent on future such stupid acts.

Covid-19 is perhaps the greatest public health threat the world has faced in over a century and to treat it with indifference is stupidity beyond comprehension. Such actions put us all at risk and must be deterred even if it means a temporary suspension of the right to assemble.

David Bond is a retired bank economist who live in Kelowna.