This is in response to Ms. Eisenbach’s letter, “Life is not without risks” (TGI Forum, Wednesday, Sept. 16).
You ask the question, why do you need to wear a mask? You ask, “If the person you may be talking to is wearing one why would you need to wear one?” The answer to this question has been around for a very long time now: I wear a mask to protect you, you wear a mask to protect me. My wearing a mask does not protect me from the virus-carrying droplets that you could potentially be expelling. Your mask protects me from being exposed to the the droplets you expel even when just talking to me You could be carrying the virus and be completely unaware that you are. Both presymptomatic and asymptomatic transmission is possible, even common.
Yes, we are all extremely grateful that Kaua‘i has remained nearly-virus-free, and at this time we have no active cases. However, we have recently had 1,400 people arrive on island who needed to quarantine, and every week we probably get about that number of people again.
Everyone doesn’t always follow quarantine, and even those who do could be asymptomatic once allowed to leave their lodging. People are coming to this island every day from all over. It only takes one. Our mayor and his team have done an awesome job to protect us all, and he has pleaded with all of us to WEAR MASKS. We only need look at Israel, which reopened and returned to “NORMAL LIFE,” with an abandonment of caution that allowed cases and deaths to climb steadily.
It’s about being considerate of others, especially our health-care workers, who I have seen repeatedly begging people to wear masks. When people do not wear masks they put the health-care workers and all of us at greater risk.
If everyone would wear masks, we would get this virus under control like many other nations around the globe have been able to do because they have had a central mandate to wear masks. Even if only 80% of people would wear masks we could save thousands of lives nationwide within the next month.
Reality check — VIRUSES DO NOT COME AND GO. They may subside for a period of time, but once here they are here to stay. Polio is a virus. It is under control now because we were all vaccinated as children. Smallpox, influenza, Ebola, rabies, Dengue, herpes, HIV AIDS are all viruses, just to name some. They have NOT gone away. They are being managed as best they can.
This line of thinking that wearing a mask infringes on your freedoms is ridiculous. Are you OK with me driving on the wrong side of the road or not stopping at stop lights, or, hey, running around naked in the grocery store? Don’t those rules/laws against those things also infringe upon our freedoms?
We have many rules/laws that have been in place for a very long time that we all abide by for the sake of the safety of all. Would you advocate for allowing people be able to drink and drive so as not to infringe upon their freedom? Don’t the rest of us have a right to feel safe.
IT’S A MASK!!! It’s the one thing that we have strong evidence for that helps lower the infection rate. Please think of others.
Those people who want to open up the economy but refuse to wear a mask are THE primary reason why we are not opening up the economy. You want your business back, WEAR A MASK.
•••
Evelyn Harris is a resident of Kilauea.
I can’t post a link to it, but the best explanation I’ve ever seen for “why should I wear a mask” is a press conference given by NY Gov Cuomo early on in this S-show. You Tube has it. Search “Kyle Dunnigan Best Advice from Cuomo”.
(you’re welcome)
“Old Fart Haole”, you’re really wanting us to listen to Cuomo for advice on COVID. The man who was responsible for the highest death count of any state by asininely putting COVID patients in nursing homes resulting in the untimely deaths of thousands of elderly people. Take a break from the Communist News Network (CNN) and watch Tucker Carlson on Fox News for a reality check.
Bravo Evelyn Harris!! Well put and easy to understand! Nicely done! Only easy Kauai, wear the mask!
The coronavirus issues are not about the coronavirus. They are about either politics or money. In the case of Ms. Eisenbach, both apply. She is first concerned about her money, i.e. tourist income from her business and from her vacation rental. Her next influence is political, i.e. doing what Mr. Trump says.
Aside and apart from the above, Ms. Eisenbach is rather disingenuous when she suggests that She and a friend were shopping at Costco and the police were called because her friend refused to wear a mask. We all know that is not how it works. Without a mask, one is approached by management in a very polite manner and requested to mask-up or to please leave the store. Now, in order to invoke further action, one must enter the store looking for a fight. And I am certain that was the case with these two people.
When someone complains about wearing a mask, I always feel like urging them to volunteer in the Covid wing of the hospital. If someone is going to be part of the problem, they should be willing to help deal with the results.
In fact, isn’t going maskless in public considered reckless endangerment? Isn’t there a law about that, and penalties? I think in this case, offenders should be required to perform community service in the hospital. Preferably in the Covid wing.
Well written and to the points, Ms. Harris. But what a mess when citizens will not protect each other and wear a damn mask. So easy, so simple, c’mon. Yes, we have no infection on Kaua’i, yet. I cannot imagine living on the mainland. I hear the stress in people’s voice I talk to on the mainland and I’ll just say, Lucky Live Kaua’i. Citizens mask up for each other. Show some real Aloha
Thanks for your letter. You are so correct. I assume that people wear seat belts when they are driving or are a passenger in a vehicle because it is the law. Many people have been opposed to seat belts but the law has been passed to protect us all. This is the reason for government – it serves to help in protecting us. So, wearing a mask is now the law. We cannot survive if we all just follow our own selfish personal liberty needs – this leads to anarchy.
Well said.
The hypocrisy of this whole thing with not wanting to wear masks is that those people want things to return to normal. Yet at the same time, not wearing masks is one of the reasons why our fight with the disease is lasting so long and keeping us from returning to normal sooner. Calling it government overreach is silly since the guy representing the government refuses to endorse wearing masks or social distancing. So the mask-less ones are actually doing what their “government” is telling them to do. That’s funny, but not ha-ha funny.
NOBODY likes to wear masks. They are hot, uncomfortable, fog up glasses, etc. They are also proven to reduce the spread of the disease and the simplest thing we can do to help stop it.
Here’s some reality for you. During the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, there were also those that fought against wearing masks and social distancing. Also, it turns out; spitting was a problem that spread the disease back then too. That pandemic started in January 1918 and lasted through December 1920, which is just one month less than 3 years. There were 500 million people infected worldwide. If you want to say that Covid started here in March, then we are only close to 7 months into this pandemic. Do you think the mask haters are hoping Covid-19 will continue killing people for 2 more years? Probably not, but their actions might be part of the cause if it does.
No matter what anybody says about Covid “leveling off” or “we are rounding the corner”, the truth is we are still averaging around 1,000 new cases per hour and 1,000 new deaths per day, in the US alone. We are still in our first wave.
Why not wear a mask and be part of the solution, instead of fighting the tide to be part of the problem? Oh yeah, that’s right, I forgot, you’re standing up for your right to, what, get sick or maybe die?
I’m curious Evelyn, did you wear a mask during the flu season of 2019? It would have helped to stop the spread of flu virus. When you got a cold did you wear a mask to protect others from catching your cold. Why not? Do you plan on wearing a mask for the rest of your life “just in case” there might be an outbreak of something really bad? We never did before. Why now? Could it be the FEAR FACTOR created by the media? Use common sense, avoid crowds and coughing, sneezing people. If you are sick stay home and if you have to go out, wear a mask to protect others. Common sense, not fear.
And after November if Biden wins….. He will be the second coming of Christ and declare “ no more masks, we have a cure” and it will be available the week after he is sworn in….. This whole thing is baloney!!!
Fact check: sincere but entirely false
Great contribution.
So many commie pigs in America. So scared of a little virus, you give away your freedom for safety. Big senile Biden gonna protect ya. It’s all Trumps fault , he made the virus.
Maybe you should change your eating habits, get in shape and you wouldn’t have to worry about protection from strangers and muzzling your children. You people are sick.