As you read this newspaper, we are on the eve of the big 4th of July holiday. Many of you have today off from work and school, but as Lake County Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace stated via email this week, our county has experienced a significant and troubling rise in COVID-19 cases over the past week, a spike from 42 confirmed cases to 85 as of press time with 44 active cases, with four people currently in the hospital.
This upsurge is consistent with statewide trends, as Pace noted, California is experiencing a large upsurge in cases with 8,000 new cases per day being confirmed. As of Wednesday, more than 6,000 Californians have died, a trend which puts at risk some of the loosened restrictions on local retailers and other establishments the Governor has put in place.
Despite the anti-mask rhetoric which has become prevalent during this period of partisan division and hyper sensitive ideological discourse, most scientists, medical professionals and health experts acknowledge that wearing a mask when close to others greatly reduces the spread and will go a long way in allowing local businesses to continue to operate despite the recent expansion of infections in our community.
One recent study published in the Health Affairs Journal by Project HOPE, a global health and humanitarian relief organization, provided evidence from a natural experiment on effects of state government mandates in the US for face mask use in public issued by 15 states plus Washington D.C.
The study provides evidence that states in the US mandating use of face masks in public had a greater decline in daily COVID-19 growth rates after issuing these mandates compared to states that did not issue mandates. These effects are observed conditional on other existing social distancing measures and are independent of the CDC recommendation to wear facial covers issued in April.
There are many other studies which come to similar conclusions. Despite President Trump being reluctant to wearing masks in public, the White House announced federal guidance that encourages Americans to use homemade cloth face coverings when in public, a recent effort intended to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The notion that it is somehow unpatriotic not to participate in large gatherings this holiday weekend is a logical fallacy, there is no reason why people can’t social distance and limit themselves to small gatherings which do not put others at risk, while concurrently showing their reverence and love for our country. While we understand and also lament the loss our ability to celebrate our nation’s heritage in the traditional manners we are accustomed to, there is an ongoing health crisis of which we must be cognizant and which we cannot overlook or underestimate. Simply put, we can’t let our guards down now.
Wearing a mask when indoors and around others outside of your immediate household ensures the safety of the more vulnerable parts of our population and limits the spread of the virus. Don’t be selfish, wear a mask and help keep others safe during this holiday weekend.