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ECLECTIC RANT: Wearing a Mask—Political Statement or IQ Test?

Ralph E. Stone
Friday July 10, 2020 - 03:50:00 PM

Nhew daily cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. approach 60,000 with surges in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas. At least 36 states have experienced a spike in new cases. Dr. Anthony Fauci focused on three main failings by both the public and authorities: Many states have reopened too quickly, people are not abiding by rules of social distancing, and the authorities could do a better job at contact tracing to track people who’ve been in contact with those who test positive.  

What can we as individuals do? A new study says if 80% of Americans wore masks, COVID-19 would plummet. Another study found that countries that quickly resorted to widespread mask-wearing had far lower death rates and shorter outbreaks 

However, in America, face masks have been treated as a political statement rather than a public health one. I blame Trump for not wearing a mask, discouraging their use at his rallies and generally downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic. For example, Trump recently falsely claimed that 99% of COVID-19 cases are “harmless” when the number of reported cases exceed 3 million and deaths are 132,135. The World Health Organization in fact has said about 20% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 progress to severe disease, including pneumonia and respiratory failure. Those with mild or no symptoms, meanwhile, could spread the virus to others. 

Taking their cue from Trump, too many Americans are not taking the pandemic seriously leaving many state governors with no other option but a complete lockdown. Lockdowns have been shown around the world to dramatically cut rates of transmission, but they also introduce all sorts of economic, social, and health problems that communities want to avoid. However, we may have no choice. 

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that roughly half the Twitter accounts pushing to “reopen America” are bots. 

Why did Trump downplay the seriousness of the pandemic from its very beginning? As The Washington Post suggests: "We can’t pretend any longer that Trump isn’t perfectly aware of what the real-world consequences of his actions — or inactions — would be. . . . Trump is not a hapless, clueless actor but rather a deliberate and malevolent one.” Trump acts in his own self-interest, not the public’s. 

The bottom line is that each of us has the ability and yes, the responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask in public, keeping a social distance and washing your hands often.