Ducey passes the buck on masks

Gov. Doug Ducey knows that Arizona citizens should be wearing some type of face covering when they are in public.

He knows that with the economy now open and people congregating in places of business that the only chance Arizona has to curb its spiking number of cases of COVID-19 is for each one of us to be responsible enough to mask-up.

A letter to the governor sent by hundreds of health care workers urges him to mandate masks in public.

It reads in part, “By wearing masks, we can curtail a huge surge of COVID-19 cases in Arizona and reduce unnecessary mortality in our community.”

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who has been active on the federal level when it comes to combating the virus, weighed in on the state’s deteriorating health care situation.

Frustrated by not being able to communicate with the governor directly over her concerns Sinema told The Republic’s Ronald J. Hansen, “I don’t think it makes sense to design your policy based on whether or not there are enough hospital beds for people to die in. I think we should be designing our policy about how do we reduce the spread, so fewer people are dying, fewer people are in the hospitals and fewer people are contracting the virus. That should be our focus. And we can do that while also safely reopening our businesses and our economy.”

Ducey knows this.

He knows as well that a number of other governors have issued executive orders mandating mask use in public.

In Virginia, for example, the executive order of Gov. Ralph Northam requires citizens to wear some form of face covering while inside public places, as well as on public transportation or anywhere that people congregate.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker requires masks in any location that is open to the public, indoors or outside, where individuals are not able to maintain a social distance of six feet. Violation carries up to a $300 fine.

Enforcing such an order is not easy, however. I’d guess that’s why Ducey has balked at issuing a executive order mandating masks in public.

So, what he has done instead is to pass the buck. Ducey announced Wednesday that he is allowing local officials to mandate the wearing of masks. Maybe your mayor or county supervisor will do it. Maybe not. But it won’t be his call.

Why not do it statewide? Ducey is a Republican governor who is completely under the thumb of President Donald Trump, a man who opposes masks. Ducey also governs in a state with a very strong history of protecting individual rights and rejecting what it be

lieves to be government overreach.

This would not be overreach, of course, not when we’re talking about life and death.

Still, Ducey is knowledgeable enough about his constituency to recognize that a portion of the Arizona community would defy any mandate from his office, perhaps with the encouragement of elected officials from Ducey’s own party.

That would put him in a bind when it comes to enforcement. The governor did say Wednesday that he is going to enforce the social distancing recommendations that some businesses are ignoring. That’s a good thing.

It requires Ducey to risk alienating – perhaps even punishing – some of those most loyal to Trump, as well as elements of the Republican party with the ability to hinder any plans Ducey may have for his political future. Not enforcing it, on the other hand, would make Ducey look weak and ineffectual.

We’ll see where the governor lands. Doing the right thing is not always easy. There are times, like now, when the personal or professional cost could be high.

Even with all that in mind, however, this isn’t a tough call.

Not when it’s a matter of life and death.