Willful Ignorance on Masks Puts Children Needlessly at Risk - Horowitz

Governor Ron DeSantis and leaders of most of the 7 other states that have banned local school districts from putting in place mask mandates continue to stick with these policies despite a surge in cases resulting from the more contagious Delta variant. Standing in the way of local school districts instituting procedures that have worked well to protect our children guarantees that more school-age children will get COVID, more will end up in the hospital, and more will lose their lives than would be the case if basic public health protocols were permitted. These stick-your-head-in-the-sand policies become even harder to defend when one considers that in some of these states, including Florida, hospital's intensive care units are beyond capacity and hospital systems are beginning to be overwhelmed.

In defending these ill-advised and politically craven decisions made to secure support from the hard-core Republican base, who vote in high numbers in primaries, governors and other state elected officials, all who happen to be Republicans, fall back on the importance of individual choice and parents’ rights. When he issued an executive order outlawing mask mandates in public schools, Governor DeSantis, for example, said, “We really do need to make sure that the parents’ rights are protected.” If the only person put at risk by a decision not to wear a mask was the child not wearing one, then this argument might be a reasonable one.  But masking is far more effective when it is universal. As a result, a parent’s decision for their child not to wear a mask puts every other child in the classroom at greater risk and heightens the odds of community spread.  This is especially the case since vaccines are not yet open to children under 12.

A recently released Duke University study of the effectiveness of universal masking conducted with the large data set of all North Carolina public and charter school students drives home the value of universal masking in protecting our children and in ensuring that our schools stay open.  “In the mask-on-mask environment … the risk of death from acquiring COVID and dying from it in North Carolina this past year was less than the risk of riding to school in your parent’s automobile, said Danny Benjamin MD, co-chair of the Duke-led ABC Science Collaborative study. "We can effectively prevent morbidity and mortality from this disease, full stop. We have that capability.”

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

“We know that if our goal is to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in schools, there are two effective ways to do that. 1: Vaccination. 2: Masking, added Kanecia Zimmerman, the other study co-chair. “In the setting of schools … the science suggests masking can be extremely effective, particularly for those who can’t get vaccinated while COVID-19 is still circulating.”

Duke University Health summarizes the study’s encouraging findings below.

“•    Proper masking is the most effective mitigation strategy to prevent COVID-19 transmission in schools when vaccination is unavailable or there are insufficient levels of vaccination among students and staff; 
•    With masking in place, Plan A – full, in-person instruction – is appropriate for all grades and all schools;
•    Full-capacity bus transportation can and should resume, with the seating of up to three masked students per bus seat;
•    Some within-school guidelines can be relaxed, e.g., quarantine can be modified for people who were exposed to COVID-19 but are either vaccinated or were appropriately masked when exposed; and
•    Schools should examine safety protocols surrounding athletics. With proper safety protocols in place, particularly vaccination, schools could resume fall athletics while limiting the spread of COVID-19.”

Spurred by 245 positive cases in the first week of school, Leon County just became the 7th school district in Florida to defy Governor DeSantis and institute a mask mandate--the value of which is confirmed by the Duke University study. “I ask you, governor, to please reconsider your position on this issue and to give local control back to school districts to do what’s best for the children in our community,” said Superintendent Rocky Hanna. “Leaders should never allow pride or politics to cloud their better judgment. It is never too late to do the right thing.”

Ron DeSantis and the Republican officials in the other 7 states who continue to prevent local school districts from putting in place mask mandates should take Rocky Hanna’s words to heart and heed the results of the Duke University study.  It's time to stop playing politics with the health and safety of our children.

Rob Horowitz is a strategic and communications consultant who provides general consulting, public relations, direct mail services and polling for national and state issue organizations, various non-profits, businesses, and elected officials and candidates. He is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island.

429 Too Many Requests

---

openresty