MASKS: Patriots wear them

Dear Coeur d’Alene Friends: During our seven years in Coeur d’Alene, we gained such respect for the health professionals in the area. You are truly blessed to have such an educated, talented and caring health professional community there!

So, it was with sadness and disappointment that I watched (YouTube) the City Council’s emergency meeting Monday, and heard the cries of ill-informed protesters, in denial of all the scientific evidence that wearing masks does indeed help to stop the spread of COVID, trying to shout down the highly trained health professionals who were speaking about the importance of masking.

It was also difficult to hear some members of the council challenging the testimony of Kootenai Health administrators, and spreading disinformation in the body of their questioning. What is really sad is that something which saves lives has become a political issue!

We wear seatbelts, don’t we? To save our own lives. We stop at stop signs, don’t we? To save ourselves AND the lives of others. So, why is it so difficult for some people to accept that, for now, we must wear masks to spare those around us from our droplets, through which we could unknowingly be spreading a killer virus?

This is not a question of freedom. Caring enough about our neighbors to wear a mask is actually one of the most patriotic things we can do. Americans are all in this together! Let’s keep each other safe.

KRISTEN LAHNER

Denver