Finished shopping in Bella Vista
Your headline on July 8 reads “Residents, businesses favor masks.” This is partly happy talk. It’s clear that many residents do not favor masks.
A week ago, my wife and I shopped in two big grocery stores in Fayetteville. Every shopper in both stores wore a mask. That’s the requirement in that city. On our return home, I realized that I needed to go to one of our Bella Vista grocers to get an additional item. Of the 30-plus shoppers in that store, I was the only one wearing a mask!
A couple of days later, two of my friends went into that same store wearing masks. They were accosted by one of the many unmasked shoppers who screamed that they shouldn’t be wearing masks because this whole virus thing is a hoax!
It has been extremely disappointing for me to learn about my neighbors. The only conclusions I can draw are that many of them are very poorly informed, have highly politicized this issue and don’t care in the least about my and my family’s health.
I can only guess that my neighbors are listening to the wrong people and the wrong news channels. People need to get information from more than one source. Not only is this virus far deadlier than our president is saying but we are also now learning that many people who thought they had recovered from mild cases are now discovering unexpected lingering ailments such as damage to organs, strokes and cognitive impairment. Also, the virus seems to have mutated into forms that are even more contagious and are killing many young people. What breaks my heart is to see all of the parents who bring their whole family, including their children into stores without masks. What are they thinking?
The bottom line for many of us is that we’re finished with shopping in Bella Vista, where people like me are being attacked for trying to protect those who don’t want to be protected! Until we get a face mask ordinance in Bella Vista, we will be shopping in Fayetteville, Rogers and other towns that are doing the right thing. The drives will be worth it.
Sandy Wylie Bella Vista