MASKING: Wrong opinion about public health

A writer from Worley espoused reflecting about COVID masking during the pandemic of 2020. He states that the power of masking was not effective. I would opine that neither he nor anyone else can accurately know just how many lives were saved by “masking” during that time, even without mandate. But we do know with accuracy how many folks DIED of COVID, including two of my friends who died. They wore no masks. There was no mandates for masks, although the public health services thought it needed.

When lives are endangered by a communicable disease, such as smallpox back in history, with mandatory quarantining used, it’s just possible many, many lives were saved. Mandates are not intrinsically evil. After all, there are mandates against killing, theft, larceny, defamation of character, etc. And if my friends who died would have had a mandated mask when they went into the crowds of germ-ridden people, they might have survived. The many people who filled the hospitals and morgues during that time attested that masks would be a good idea, and anyone with empathy would agree.

So please, Mr. Frazier, don’t associate the use of public tax money for the good of our citizens with the amount of effectiveness masking had with a dangerous epidemic. 

RON BOOTHE

Kingston