Be Responsible. Wear a Mask

At the beginning of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States, the number of cases started rising in mid-March and eventually leveled off in early April at around 30,000 cases of covid-19 per day. It stayed at that level through April and started to decrease to approx. 20,000 cases per day until the middle of June when the daily number of cases started rising again.

The early cases were from the northeast section of the country. The latest new cases are coming from different areas, primarily the southeast through to the southwest. Daily cases are currently approaching 60,000 per day. The daily rate of infection is twice that of the previous peak.

Trump said it's going to disappear, and Pence says things are fine. It's not going to disappear. Things are not fine. Wishful thinking is not going to solve this growing emergency. The situation is worse than it was before, and the economic consequences we have already paid were wasted because of Trump's gross incompetence. According to science and medical experts, there is a solution: masks, no exceptions, no excuses. Properly worn masks in conjunction with social distancing protects others. If you can’t or won’t wear a mask, stay home.

Recently, Pennsylvania re-enacted a mask requirement but with several exceptions. The exceptions should be removed. If local stores are having problems with people refusing to properly wear a mask, they should set up days when irresponsible people can shop with other irresponsible people. I prefer to shop in a safe environment and, after this is over, I will remember which stores made the safety of its employees and its customers a priority. Be responsible. Wear a mask and wear it correctly.

John L. Ferri

jlferri@epix.net