Mandating masks after its all over

Vincent J. Curtis

8 June 20

Today's Hamilton Spectator ran three articles of interest.  The first was a news story on Hamilton hospitals having no Covid-19 patients for the first time since mid-March.  The story also quoted the infected and death count to date, and these are quoted below.  The second story was that city council plans at its Friday meeting to unanimously approve a new by-law mandating the wearing of masks.  The third article was a weird tattle-tale piece by Canadian Press headlining that Conservative leader Andrew Scheer was spotted in a Toronto airport lounge not wearing a mask.  The story came complete with picture.  Obviously the hounds of correctness are chasing and barking at every deviation from correctness they can find.  You can't fat-shame, but you can mask-shame.

The horses haven’t just left the barn, they’ve galloped over the hill and are now out of sight.  City hospitals are free of Covid-19 patients for the first time since mid-March.  The curve hasn’t been just flattened, it has been driven down to zero.  Out of a population of half a million, there were a total of 856 probable and confirmed cases, and 44 deaths, according to the Spectator report, and 91 percent of cases have been resolved.

Now, our city council turns to the matter of mandating the wearing of face masks.  The credentialed experts on masking, Dr. Theresa Tam, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the World Health Organization have been ambivalent about the efficacy of mask wearing.  Sometimes yes, sometimes no, depending on wind conditions and the alignment of the planets.  The data, insofar as anybody cares, shows that mask wearing is helpful when worn by a sick person.  Nevertheless, the city council proposes to get with the fashionable rather than the science and the data.

The mandating of masks now has to do with social control and appearances than with measurable health benefits.  It arms the scolds and finger-waggers who can’t leave other people in peace.  Speaking of which, Canadian Press ran a tattle-tale article –complete with picture – of Andrew Scheer not wearing a mask in a Toronto airport lounge!  Horrors!

The numbers and the science say no need to harass people more.

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