Mandate face masks

Last week our governor stated that, despite a steady rise in coronavirus cases, he would not consider mandating the wearing of masks inside all public businesses for both employees and customers. His explanation was that it would be difficult to enforce. That may be true, but does that mean we shouldn’t at least give it our best shot to force those people to do so? They either don’t care about others or are ignorant about the main method of viral transmission, which is airborne.

I would ask the governor this question if I could: Should we abolish all speed limits, traffic signal laws, etc.? Certainly not everyone abides by those laws, but if they were not in place, a much larger percentage of the population would drive faster and run more red lights. These laws are in place to protect all individuals of our state. If people see that there is the possibility of a fine for violation of a law, most would at least think twice before risking getting a ticket.

With cases rising steadily, our mayor has made a bold step in the right direction by announcing a plan to force the citizens of Little Rock to wear masks in public. Fayetteville has done the same thing. Increased testing has clearly revealed new asymptomatic cases, but rises in hospitalizations and deaths are occurring as well. Clearly the rises in those areas are concerning and at least partially due to the rapid reopening of the economy. This is an opinion of doctors, scientists, and other health-care experts nationwide.

I realize that we must reopen the economy, but the easiest way to increase consumer confidence is to put some teeth into the mask policy statewide. If it saves lives and reduces the number of cases in the state, everyone will benefit.

KEN HEWITT Little Rock