Montezuma County commissioners decided to defy a statewide mandate from Gov. Polis requiring masks be worn publicly. Their ill-considered rebellion fails miserably to protect the county.
Commissioners, do you appreciate how treacherous the COVID-19 virus is? Infected victims can remain without symptoms for weeks, yet they are contagious immediately after infection. Masks help avoid infection from unknown carriers and help you avoid infecting others if you are infected unknowingly.
Your decision not to require county staff to wear masks is irresponsible. They risk infection by anyone they serve, and if they are carriers, they can infect anyone. Your lack of concern for their welfare could cripple county operations if they suffer an outbreak. Your threat to reduce budget and staff of our county health department if it enforces the governor’s public health order compromises public safety and encourages noncompliance.
You are not worthy of your office with such misbehavior. Montezuma County has tallied 104 COVID-19 infections, eight of them in one day, so outbreaks happen here. Yet you allow large gatherings of people at car races, a county fair and a gun show, putting everyone you serve at risk. Your refusal to consider such deadly mass-infection risks shows incompetence. Without vaccines, the only way we can slow this pandemic is to practice recommended hygiene and keep social distance. We must reduce infections to a volume hospitals can handle indefinitely.
Commissioners, you can help achieve this goal or create even bigger crises. Your choice!
James F. AndrusCortez