Commentary: Face masks play an essential role in aiding our recovery

Local governments, small businesses and families across the United States have been asking the same question for months: “How do we stay healthy without collapsing our economy?”

The answer? Face masks.

A recent study from researchers in California and Texas compared coronavirus infection rate trends in Italy and New York before and after face masks were made mandatory. They found that mandatory mask orders prevented more than 78,000 infections in Italy and 66,000 in New York City.

Throughout the coronavirus crisis, there has been constant conflicting information regarding treatments like hydroxychloroquine, the duration of stay-at-home orders and the accuracy of COVID-19 tests. However, when it comes to face masks, the science is clear — they are one of the most effective tools to limit the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Face masks — in addition to practicing good hygiene and maintaining critical elements of physical distancing — give the vast majority of us the freedom to safely return to our lives. They allow small business owners to keep their lights on and employees on their payroll. In Missouri, two hairstylists tested positive for the coronavirus after serving 140 clients while unknowingly contagious. Not a single customer contracted the virus. How? They wore face masks.

News

Orange County coronavirus cases up by almost 300

The Orange County Health Care Agency reports 9,576 total cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, up from 9,292 on Thursday.

June 19, 2020

Orange County’s battle against the coronavirus is far from won. This week, our county saw a record number of new infections. We surpassed 200 deaths, while hospitalization and ICU admittance rates spiked. By every metric our community is racing toward higher and higher numbers as the spread of the coronavirus accelerates.

Members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the lawmaking body tasked with creating and enforcing coronavirus policy for over 3 million residents, responded to these dangerous figures by sitting idly by as the chief medical officer for the county faced death threats.

Without public support from the board, Dr. Nichole Quick resigned, and the board proceeded to overrule her mandatory mask rule. They put politics over Orange County’s economy and their constituents’ health. They chose expediency over strategy. They ignored and silenced science.

Slowing the spread of cases is as simple as wearing masks when around other people. If we don’t, we risk accelerating community spread. We risk seeing our hospitals exhaust their resources. We risk Orange County being forced to shelter at home ... again.

The past several months have been untenable — financially, mentally and physically. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and funerals have been canceled. Our children have graduated via Zoom. We have been distanced from our families, especially our elders. The coronavirus has stolen precious moments from all of us.

Healthcare workers have endured unimaginable trauma, working around the clock to treat and save their fellow Americans. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, being forced to file for unemployment for the first time. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their loved ones — friends, neighbors, parents and even children.

Leaders should be doing anything and everything in their power to prevent another shutdown and protect public health.

Orange County’s reopening has given hope to business owners and a much-needed sense of normalcy to communities. Restaurants have resumed service, shops are open for business, and you can finally get an overdue haircut. All of these liberties are in jeopardy without widespread mask usage.

The costs of the coronavirus are already astronomical. Small business owners are on the precipice of bankruptcy. Orange County residents who are or have been hospitalized are facing hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical bills. Frontline workers are risking exposing their families to the coronavirus to collect necessary paychecks and uphold their duty to treat infected patients. For those who have lost loved ones, the pain is incalculable.

Yale researchers and scientists found that “the benefits of each additional cloth mask worn by the public are conservatively in the $3,000 to $6,000 range due to their impact in slowing the spread of the virus.” The cost of a face mask? Less than $5.

Mask requirements are safe, smart and strategic policies. Especially during the coronavirus crisis, leaders should strive to use common-sense and prioritize cost-effective measures. Orange County residents deserve common ground over capitulation and pragmatism over petty politics.

To the people of Orange County, California and America — I encourage you to wear a mask and protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness across our great communities. You have the power to keep your neighborhood healthy, help your local coffee shop survive and keep us on the path to normalcy.

It’s time to protect our nation’s health, economy and way of life. It’s time to step up and lead. It’s time to do the right thing.

U.S. Rep. Harley Rouda (D) represents California’s 48th congressional district.

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