HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment Mask - 11/18/2020 10:02:20 AM
Deborah Lovejoy
From:Christina Hansen <red_christina@yahoo.com>
Sent:Wednesday, November 18, 2020 9:58 AM
To:Customer Services
Subject:Mask mandate
Dear City Council members,
I am certain you are overwhelmed with emails and comments from people about masks and the validity of the science
behind them. I don't want to add burden, but do feel very strongly that I need to send my thoughts on this and hope they
can be read prior to the meeting this evening.
First of all, I am saddened at the fact that people have politicized this. That alone makes it so that whenever these
scientific studies come out, many people automatically think "conspiracy" instead of "opportunity to learn". When we
respond like this, we are not capable of making educated decisions, instead we can only make emotional ones.
Due to this, I have seen people with children and family members who are extremely susceptible to the disease, ignore
the safety precautions because they feel it's a choice. This is in part due to the fact that they think anything said about the
disease is political, and in part due to the lack of government leadership and strength, making them believe that the
scientific evidence isn't accurate. Somehow these families think that this lack of belief in the disease makes them
untouchable. Has our world really come to such selfish blindness? Do we assume we are so intuitively knowledgable that
we know better than those who have researched, studied, and mastered such topics? Are we incapable of accepting
things purely because we don't fully understand them?
On the other hand, I have seen people pass away from the disease that fully intended to survive it. I have seen families
torn apart from loss and heartache, all the while others are mocking the idea that their loss even comes from Covid-19. I
have seen a family lose a child from the disease while he attended college, and then the very next semester trust to send
another off to college and just pray that he will stay safe and healthy.
With over 1.3 million reported deaths (over 254,000 in the United States alone), people continue to be unwilling to believe
that these deaths are from this disease. It is very possible that some of the numbers are incorrect due to the fact that we
are still learning what deaths are caused purely by the disease, and which ones would have happened anyway, but the
fact that these small and few mistakes now make people question every single death is disheartening.
People also allow the idea that it is "just a cold" to rule their decisions right now. We have seen blaring evidence that this
is not just a cold. We have also seen blaring evidence that this is much worse than the flu. The rate of death in America
alone is 4%. That means in a class of 100 people, 4 will die. Are we saying that these 4 were not worth saving? Are we
saying that these four dying are worth our comfort in a mask-free environment? Yes, Madison County's numbers have not
been that high for the death rate, but even one death that we could have prevented is silly to disregard. Are we so selfish
to say that our neighbor's grandmother or friend is ok to die as long as it's not our own child?
Should masks be mandated? Yes. Not because it will prevent every sickness, but because masks help the spray from
coming forward into our eyes, nose, and mouth. If you have ever stood in a ray of sunlight and spoken, you will know how
much spit leaves our mouth when we speak. This is what the masks prevent. Yes, we still need distance from one another
for the spread of this even with a mask on since spray can still seep out of the sides. But, masks stop the spit that comes
forward, which is most often what gets on us. Sadly, we won't fully understand the need for protection until we have seen
our own loss. Please don't make us wait for that.
Some people cannot wear masks. Their protection comes from others that do. Some people need to be able to read lips
or see faces, this is where face shields come in. There is a responsible and reasonable answer to everyone's issues with
masks, unless those issues are coming purely out of emotional reactions. Yes, masks are uncomfortable, yes they fog up
glasses, yes, they give skin problems, but let's stop making emotional decisions and instead of rational ones and let's
protect those that cannot protect themselves.
As our leaders you have done research and hopefully listened to all sides of these arguments and studies. You have been
elected to make the decisions that can both help and heal us. Just as a parent guides a child that doesn't fully understand,
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you have to do what's best, no matter how hard those requests or decisions are. There may be frustration, even rebellion,
but as our leaders, please don't be swayed by our emotional responses. Please protect the innocent and uneducated by
mandating masks for all those that are capable of wearing one.
Best Reguards,
Christina Hansen
330-641-2962
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