It is very disturbing that SLO County is reopening and welcoming crowds of tourists from virus hotspots without a mask order in place. A business may request that patrons wear masks, but there is no way to legally require them. Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of disease should be alarmed at the crowds in Pismo Beach or Morro Bay where mask use is hit or miss and social distancing is completely ignored.
I have contacted our local health department several times to inquire why no ordinance is in place here and received only an apathetic response, which was utterly lacking in any factual basis. That is, I suspect, because there is no excuse, no reason, and no facts to support this abdication of responsibility.
Both Santa Barbara and Monterey counties are taking this seriously and have mask orders in place. Why is SLO County Public Health Director Penny Borenstein dragging her feet? Our public health department should be taking reasonable measures to safeguard our community. A new study from the University of Cambridge and the University of Greenwich finds that “even homemade masks can dramatically reduce transmission rates if enough people wear them in public.” It’s time for Dr. Borenstein to get with the program.
Stacey Avelar
Grover Beach
This article appears in Food and Drink 2020.
Yesterday in the live briefing, Dr. Borenstein stated that “some are of the opinion that there is no down side to requiring masks, and I don’t not share that opinion.” In an earlier live briefing she said “I don’t want to see anyone with asthma or lung disease wearing a mask.” So if masks are dangerous to those with lung problems, why aren’t the people wanting to mandate masks talking about that?
Stacey, with all due respect, even OSHA says face mask wearing is bad because oxygen intake is restricted while carbon dioxide intake is increased. In addition, masks create a wet breeding ground for bacteria, which is inhaled and can spread to the brain as well as the lungs. Furthermore, face masks are dehumanizing.
What this boils down to is that health is a personal responsibility. Should I wear a raincoat to protect you from getting wet?
The vast majority of deaths from the COVID (or any flu-like disease, for that matter) occurred in people over the age of 65, and 45% of those were over 80. Additionally, every one of these people had multiple co-morbidities, creating a weak immune system which could not effectively detoxify and eliminate waste products from yet another health blow. It is sad, but old people are often frail, and they do die, as we all will some day.
The best way to prevent illness of all kinds is to eat a diet that creates optimal nutrition, to exercise (get lots of oxygen!), to put good information into our minds, and to create love and joy in the world.
Totally agree with you Stacey. The science supports use of masks. There are all types of different materials for masks for those that may be more sensitive. I am sure that people with special conditions could be exempt.
A raincoat is a bad analogy as rain is not an infectious disease! I would equate this more to the use a condom to prevent the spread of STDS. Most educated people are not opposed to safe sex because wearing a condom is dehumanizing. You get to do something you enjoy in a safe way for yourself and others. We can not choose who we are exposed to into in public, so put a rubber on it so to speak. We need to be considerate of our community members and the sacrifices they made by staying at home for months, homeschooling their children and financially struggling. This is not a political issues. Lets help keep our numbers low so our community can thrive again. It’s a simple thing we can all do that goes a long way to reduce the spread.
In Pismo yesterday, masks were the exception, not the rule. Apparently a lot of our tourists haven’t gotten the memo! I hope businesses tell them no mask, no service! I get not wearing them on the sand if you’re socially distanced, but sidewalks near shops or on your way down to beach, shouldn’t be a big deal!!