San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Can holiday cheer triumph over mask defiance?
This should be the season of hoping for joy, compassion, goodwill — and good health — for all.
It’s about spreading cheer, not a debilitating and deadly virus.
On Wednesday, the state reinstituted a face mask mandate for indoor public places, even for people vaccinated against COVID-19.
That was unwelcome news for anybody because of what triggered it: a worrisome increase in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the state.
As before, the vast majority of Californians are certain to abide by the rules, even if they are fatigued by the continuing pandemic and measures to counter it, even this one.
The news was also not welcomed by a small group of people and organizations that, as they have in the past, pledged to resist the mandate and encouraged others to do the same, despite studies that are near universal in their conclusions that wearing masks impedes the spread of the coronavirus.
That’s disheartening, especially at this time of year.
But for too many people, their interpretation of what individual liberty is trumps what’s best for society at large — lest they forget, that includes family, friends, neighbors and strangers at certain holiday gatherings.
It’s a familiar argument against masks and vaccinations that almost always avoids the context of how many people not only have been felled by COVID-19 — more than 800,000 Americans dead so far — but the impact on their loved ones and the burden on the health care system.
“I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care for other people,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser.
What’s being asked is really such a little thing, for such a short period of time. Yet, it potentially could help avert the coronavirus from becoming a full-blown crisis, again.
Certainly, there’s debate about how useful mask mandates are in some settings, such as a restaurant dining room where people aren’t wearing them while eating.
But we have to put up with permanent rules we don’t agree with — some of which are far more cumbersome and intrusive than wearing a mask. This mandate is only for a month, through Jan. 15. Hopefully, there won’t be the need to extend it.
California and the nation are seeing increases in cases, some of which is being attributed to Thanksgiving gatherings. Officials are anticipating a possible spike next month resulting from the double whammy of winter holiday festivities and the Omicron variant, which may cause less severe illness than earlier variants but appears to spread more easily.
There’s no use in bemoaning that wearing masks — what should be a nonpolitical means of helping protect everyone’s health — has become another symbol in the culture wars. That’s the unfortunate reality.
It’s probably wishful thinking, but maybe the intended spirit of the season will shave the edges of that.
Immediately after the state announced reinstatement of the mask mandate, opponents spoke out, according to a report by Paul Sisson of The San Diego Union-tribune.
“There is no justification for California to mandate masks indoors again,” Let Them Breathe, a San Diego organization opposed to mask mandates in schools, said in a statement. “The newest symptoms have been reported to be mild, and the rhetoric just isn’t making sense.”
Look no further than the increasing COVID-19 tallies for justification. And the Omicron variant can’t be equated with the common cold. It’s a widespread health threat and other apparently more lethal variants are still with us.
“We believe that this is not about health; this is about control,” Amy Reichert, co-leader of Reopen San Diego, a grassroots group that has protested all government mandates, from shutdowns to vaccination.
That’s simply wrong. There’s no longer a logical argument that masks — and especially vaccinations — don’t help protect people and reduce the spread of the virus. It’s hard to scroll online information about coronavirus these days and not stumble across legitimate research confirming that.
The notion that this is about control makes no sense. There’s no benefit to Gov. Gavin Newsom for stoking this division again without good reason. While divisive politics, unfortunately, can be good strategy, it isn’t here. Nobody likes wearing masks, including Newsom supporters, though clearly a large majority of people appreciate efforts to keep them safe.
The governor is interested in keeping cases down, hospitals from becoming overwhelmed and businesses open. The first and simplest step toward doing that is requiring people to wear masks in certain circumstances.
However, he’s signaled that there won’t be much state government enforcement, but has appealed to individuals’ sense of responsibility.
On Wednesday, Newsom was asked by a reporter about the apparent lack of enforcement of the statewide mask mandate.
“I have more faith than you do in the capacity of people to do the right thing. That’s the response,” the governor said.
Local governments will deal with the mandate gingerly, if at all. El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey told NBC 7 San Diego their cities won’t be expending resources to enforce the mandate. Other jurisdictions trod lightly during previous mask mandates.
What that means is employees at stores, restaurants and bars will be on the frontline. In the past, servers, bartenders and retail workers suffered verbal and sometimes physical abuse from customers who refused to abide by pandemic rules forced on the establishments.
Maybe, just maybe, we all can be spared experiencing or hearing of such incidents over the next few weeks.
To that end, may all heed the words in this eloquent social media post by Fox 5 anchor Kathleen Bade.
“California’s mask mandate is once again in effect for at least the next month for indoor spaces. If you find this frustrating, please also find your inner kindness & be polite/accommodating to employees tasked with carrying it out. ‘Tis the season of goodwill after all.”
It’s not only the right thing to do, it’s the nice thing to do.
Tweet of the Week
Goes to 10News (@10News).
“Man kicked off United flight after trying to pass off women’s underwear as mask.”