A friend who has been traveling around Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee came into town this weekend for a visit. His first observation was, “Carrboro is the only place I’ve seen where people are wearing masks just walking down the street.” It’s true. The whole town wears masks all of the time. When I’m walking in the woods, about half the people are wearing masks.
On the bright side, the people here were early adapters. The same friend told me last spring that people weren’t wearing masks in grocery stores long after they became universal attire in Carrboro. We have had very little community spread and Orange County has either the lowest or second lowest incidence of COVID in the state. Masks are certainly part of that.
On the other hand, there’s no science behind wearing masks outside. COVID is spread predominantly indoors with a significant amount of time and exposure. Even large outdoor events don’t cause outbreaks. That’s why the protests last spring and summer, both against COVID restrictions and in response to George Floyd’s killing, did not become super spreader events. It’s also why closing parks and beaches last year was a mistake.
A lot of liberals who self-righteously claim they believe the science ignored it throughout the pandemic. They associated caution with science when it’s not. Science would have kept the schools open because the threat to the well-being of children was greater than the threat of community spread of COVID through schools. Science would have people maskless outside but wearing them inside. If you are wearing a mask on your daily walk on a relatively sparsely populated street or in a park or in the woods, you are not believing the science; you are believing the hype.
Conservatives had an opportunity to make themselves the voice of reason. Instead, they made themselves the pro-COVID party. They could have been promoting responsible behavior and offering ways to mitigate the impact and spread of the disease. Instead, they stayed silent while their Donald Trump and their right-flank spewed conspiracy theories. They focused more on the horrors of mask mandates than the horrors of COVID. They demanded opening bars, which should have stayed closed, instead of offering plans to open schools responsibly. In other words, they blew it.
I’m still seething over the politicization of the pandemic and I’m as angry at the self-righteous people staring condescendingly as I walk my dog without a mask as I am at those who promoted bullshit theories of a hoax to undermine Donald Trump. I see the damage done to my children and their friends and I’m still not hearing the adults on either side of the argument trying to make it right for them. COVID was an opportunity for both right and left to set aside their differences and figure out how keep our society as normal as possible in a very abnormal period and we failed.
Both sides botched the response to the disease. Now, they need to figure out how to mitigate the damage they’ve done to the people who are our future. For once, do what’s right regardless of the costs. Give them a chance to do the year over again. Find the counselors and emotional support necessary to help kids recover from a year in isolation. Provide tutors to get them caught up in their work. Just get the recovery right for them and not just the shoppers and drinkers.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Wow. I generally enjoy your take on things, but this one bothered me, a lot.
I agree that closing the beaches and parks (and tennis courts for that matter) might have been a mistake. But that’s really a “hindsight is 20-20” observation. At the time, nobody really knew how strict the shut-down should be, and restrictions WERE eased as more information became available. I don’t think you can categorically state that outside events can’t be super spreaders. The Rose Garden ceremony is an example. Maybe the spread happened at the smaller after events, but there’s no proof of that. Saying that it’s a FACT that schools should have been open is also ridiculous. It’s not as if children can’t catch COVID. Their cases are generally mild, but not always, and they do live in households with adults. Not to mention all the teachers and other adult staff.
I sometimes wear a mask on my walks. I had no idea that made me “self-righteous and believing the hype”. I often come across heavily breathing runners or larger groups and I’d rather not be in their “slipstream”. I also come across others wearing masks, and I feel like putting mine on briefly is the least I can do. I try very hard to say “hello” and show friendliness to all, including the maskless, but apparently I must still come across as a judgemental fool, according to you.
And really? You are EQUALLY angry at both sides? BOTH sides botched the response? Equally? Just… c’mon. This is a really bad take all around.
“If you are wearing a mask on your daily walk on a relatively sparsely populated street or in a park or in the woods, you are not believing the science; you are believing the hype. ”
Or…..you are being considerate of the feelings of those who ARE worried by doing something that has literally no cost or downside to you at all but makes them feel better?