Letters to the Editor

Letter: Rights and responsibilities

When entering a public building, smokers dutifully put out their cigarettes, cigars, etc. They understand the danger posed by secondhand smoke to others. They do not say, “my body, my choice.” They do not speak of their personal freedom. They understand that their ‘right’ to smoke should not create a health hazard for others.

How, then, is wearing a mask to protect others any different? If a person has COVID-19 but is asymptomatic, what they exhale poses a danger to others. Certainly, masks are uncomfortable, but they work. It is a small price to pay to protect each other. A person’s ‘rights’ end when they infringe on others’ more fundamental rights.

— Gary Fisk

Eagle River

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