Wolf and COVID-19: Will infection undermine his message?
Gov. Tom Wolf said he took all of the precautions, yet he still caught the coronavirus.
I fear that’s going to make his job trying to slow spread of the virus in Pennsylvania a lot more difficult.
If he followed his own advice and wore a mask, socially distanced, stayed home as much as he could, skipped a big family Thanksgiving and washed his hands frequently and he still got sick, that could lead people to believe that precautions don’t work.
This is the opportunity that virus deniers and anti-maskers have been waiting for, and they pounced on it Wednesday after Wolf’s announcement. I hope the governor and health officials are prepared to counter their ignorant rhetoric.
Among the comments on The Morning Call’s Facebook page:
“Those mask mandates working real well for you, huh?”
“His plan didn’t work and he wants [us] to obey his rules — yeah, right.”
“Maybe these lockdowns and mask wearing don’t work.”
There’s no telling how Wolf got sick. In many instances, that’s impossible to determine.
Several members of his security team recently tested positive, so perhaps he caught it from them. His job requires him to be with others in public at times, though he’s primarily been working from home lately, according to his spokeswoman.
And no, Wolf didn’t catch COVID-19 at a Black Lives Matter march in Harrisburg. He had been criticized for joining it because it put him in a crowd at a time when he called on people not to gather en masse. The march occurred in June.
I don’t believe that set a good example, but that’s not where he caught it.
The truth that the virus deniers and anti-maskers don’t want to hear is: Those of us who take precautions against the virus are at risk because society is only as strong as its weakest link. And there are too many weak links, starting with those whoare too selfish to wear a mask.
They include some state officials, such as members of the state Senate Majority Policy Committee. Some didn’t wear masks during a hearing in Gettysburg a few days before Thanksgiving, and they didn’t require masks to be worn by the audience, either. Two Republican senators later tested positive for the virus, including Doug Mastriano, who learned he was infected later that day while meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.
On a recent trip to the supermarket, I encountered two people without masks in my first few minutes in the store. I won’t be going back there any time soon. I’ll spend my money at businesses that do more to protect people.
The sad part is that neither of them needed to be in the store. Both were with other people — whowere masked. They could have done their group’s shopping without their unmasked relatives or friends tagging along.
In Westmoreland County last week, a man threw a fit when he was told to leave a store because he wasn’t wearing a mask. He was cited for violating state health orders, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and harassment, according to the Tribune-Review.
Then there are those whoget sick and refuse to quarantine. A Hawaii couple face reckless endangerment charges after authorities said they flew from San Francisco to Hawaii last week after being told they had tested positive for the virus.
Those are just a few examples of why COVID-19 is spreading, and why anyone can get it, no matter howcareful they are.
Some people are never going to be convinced to do the right thing. Vaccines are about ready to be distributed. There is light at the end of the tunnel. If we can all just pull together for a few more months, we can get through this.
If we don’t, more restrictions are inevitable, possibly even beyond those that were announced Thursday — the three-week closure of indoor dining, gyms, entertainment venues and high school and youth sports. If you’re part of the problem, don’t complain when they come.
Restrictions wouldn’t be necessary if we all acted responsibly. But because of our weak links, some businesses are going to suffer shutdowns, and people are going to lose their jobs. There will be smaller limits on crowds at public and private events. Eventually, if things don’t improve, schools might be closed to in-person learning.
I wish Wolf a speedy recovery. And I hope he comes out swinging at those who attempt to exploit his illness. Precautions work, but they aren’t foolproof, because there are too many fools.