David Morgan’s recent statement likening the choice to wear a mask with the choice to wear a tie to work is not only deeply flawed but irresponsible. The main problem with the analogy is obvious — who has ever considered mask-wearing a style choice? — but I find the underlying message alarming. Morgan seems to think that our response to the coronavirus’s spread in our community should be informed by our taste, rather than a sense of civic responsibility. Protecting one another should be the constant consideration of us all, especially the director of the Anchorage Health Department. We all know by now that done en masse, mask-wearing is an important part of protecting the community; for Morgan to misrepresent this is inexcusable.
The CDC’s statement in May, when it announced that fully vaccinated people do not have to wear masks indoors, seems to be willfully misinterpreted, to the detriment of us all. It is the very denial of social responsibility that has left us susceptible to the delta variant, with fewer than half of Alaskans vaccinated.
Now that the CDC’s May declaration is out of date, with the more virulent delta variant rapidly spreading in our state and nation, we would do well to follow Anne Zink’s advice — based on weekly data — to eat out of doors and mask up indoors even if we are vaccinated. I applaud communities like Sitka and Juneau, which take the threat seriously, and have asked for masking up indoors in order to try to stem the spread. I hope that Mayor Dave Bronson will be open-minded enough to reconsider his campaign platform, and to have the common sense to follow suit.
I also hope that the Anchorage School District will make decisions based on prevailing science, numbers and a collective view of protecting teachers and staff, children and families. I have three children who are not old enough yet to get vaccinated, and while I eagerly anticipate the immeasurable benefits of in-person learning, I also want to know they will be in the safest environment possible.
Of course, the easiest and and most effective solution is for everyone to get vaccinated. Imagine the benefits to the educational system, to the health care system, to the economy and to the overall health of our community if we were collectively protected.
— Amy Purevsuren
Anchorage
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