Use of masks shouldn’t be a political battleground
A few milesmay make a big difference in terms of community values. A short distancemay even mean the difference between life and death.
In Orland Park this week, village trustees voted 4-3 against considering a villagewide mask mandate in response to the pandemic that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.
In nearbyNew Lenox, the village board adopted an ordinance effective
Dec. 1. The ordinance requires that people cover their faces if they enter public buildings or private businesses.
Mask mandates appear to be a battleground between right- and leftleaning political views. Public health policy should not be subject to political disputes, but here we are.
On one side, people argue for rights and personal freedoms. On the other side, people appeal for common sense, public health and safety.
NewLenox Mayor Tim Baldermann explained in a social media postwhy the village board sought middle ground with its mask mandate.
“This gives businesses an opportunity to succeed while reasonably protecting the health of our citizenry,” he wrote. “If you are going to be obstinate andwant a policy of total disregard for people’s safety, then you may be unhappy.”
“If you are going to support a total shutdown and disregard the economic and emotionalwellbeing of many, then you may be unhappy,” Baldermann wrote. “If you are willing to be respectful of the physical, emotional and economic health of all, thenwe hope you will support our decisions.”
Baldermann’s explanation gives hope to those who believe that compromise is the best response to our nation’s deep partisan divide.
Those who argue about enforcement, fines and other details may be missing the bigger picture. The purpose of mask mandates is to promote a consistent message thatwe are all in this together. The goal is
not about punishing violators.
ANaperville City Council member made that point thisweek, though he was in the minority of a 5-4 decision against a mask mandate.
“Many other municipalities have already passed something like this, and staff researched it and they did not find one single time where an actual citation has been issued to an individual,” Naperville council member Patrick Kelly said.
“Nobody is arresting people, and that’s not the intent I think of any of us with this ordinance. But it does say a lot about our values on howwe’re going to address this issue,”
Kelly said.
If you think municipal mask mandates are about asserting legal rights, you may bemissing the point. After all, Illinois already has a statewide mask mandate.
In fact, 38 states have mask mandates.
Wyoming thisweek became the latest to require face coverings when venturing out in public. Wyoming is generally regarded as a deep red state, as are Indiana,
Texas, Montana, Alabama and other states with mask mandates.
“(I’m) not trying to be Gov. Memaw,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday as she announced an extension of the state’smask mandate and other restrictions.
“I’m simply trying to urge you to use the common sense the good Lord gave each of us, to be smart and considerate of others.”
The leader of deep red Alabama seemed to understand something that legislativemajorities in Orland Park, Naperville and other municipalities failed to grasp.
“The mask mandate remains the one-stop gap in order to keep the balance of our daily lives and maintaining health and safety,” Ivey said.“We returned to school, to church and towork under the conditions of simply wearing amask.”
I give Alabamians credit for being sensible enough to heed their governor’s call towear masks for the sake of others. After all, it’s just a mask. Health expertsworldwide have learned a lot about COVID-19 this year. There is a lot of evidence that wearing amask slows the spread of the disease and saves lives.
Whywould anyone argue against such a simple gesture aswearing a mask? Many struggle to understand howanyone could be so selfish as to disregard the health and safety of others.
Some have compared anti-maskers to thosewho drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They may plead they have a right to place their own lives at risk. But what gives them the right to endanger the lives of others with their recklessness?
“This is insanity,” many mask proponents have said.
By now, it seems futile to debate the benefits of wearing masks. It’s like arguing with someone who believes the Earth is flat.
They are convinced of their reality and they will cite all manner of junk science to back up their view.
Rather, they find affirmation of their position from like-minded individuals. There are, unfortunately, many who are equally ill-informed about howmany lives could be saved if everyonewore masks.
Anti-maskers ignore pleas from doctors, nurses and other health care workers and officials who say hospitals are at or near capacity. Ifwe could just endure a few more months of restrictions while vaccines are distributed and administered, we might get through this with fewer lives lost.
Elected leaders could send a strong message and set a good example with their actions. Unfortunately, we have lacked strong leadership in this effort at the national level. The inconsistency of messaging has contributed to uncertainty about whatwe all should be doing to get through this crisis.
The pandemic will end at some point. In the nottoo-distant future, people will look back and ask, “What couldwe have done differently? Howcouldwe have lessened the severity of this tragedy? What couldwe have done to save lives?”
It’s not too late for elected officials to ask themselves if they are doing enough in their communities to protect public health and save lives.