Florida proves (again) the stupidity of mask mandates
On September 25, 2020 the Republican governor of Florida, Ron De Santis, lifted all mandates on mask use while ending all restrictions on restaurants
He was immediately lambasted by numerous Democratic Party Florida mayors as well as:
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who warned that the change is “very concerning to me. When you’re dealing with community spread, and you have the kind of congregate setting where people get together, particularly without masks, you’re really asking for trouble.”
The mayor of Miami Beach, Democrat Dan Gelber, was especially harsh, stating in a letter to De Santis that
“the notion that we are still debating (a mask mandate) seems incomprehensible given the recent infections of the First Family, and the horrific impact the virus has had on our own residents.”[emphasis mine]
I highlight the word “horrific” beause the only truly horrible thing about this epidemic is the nightmare of making everyone wear masks at all times even as they see their jobs vanish and their businesses destroyed.
These critics were also certain the freedom to not use masks would immediately cause a spike in the infection rate in Florida.
NOT. It is two weeks later, when you’d expect to start seeing a rise in cases, and there is none.
The graph to the right (source here) illustrates this. There has been no obvious increase in either cases or deaths. From the link:
Data gleaned from the Florida Department of Health … shows that the positivity rate remains relatively steady, standing at 4.57 percent as of Wednesday and even reaching a low of 3.73 percent earlier in the week.
New cases also appear to remain steady following DeSantis’s move, ranging from 810 new daily cases (reported September 27) to over 3,300 reported on Thursday. Notably, the case number has fluctuated over the past month, reaching 3,651 on September 10, roughly two weeks prior to DeSantis lifting restrictions.
A brief look at fatalities by the date of death shows a downward trend as well:
Moreover, the local governments controlled by Democrats began to institute mask mandates in July, which is exactly when there was a rise in cases in that state, followed soon thereafter by a rise in deaths.
The evidence that masks can limit the spread of the coronavirus remains highly disputed. What is not disputed is that if you use a mask improperly, touching it and not cleaning it after removal, as everyone does, you almost guarantee you are acting to spread disease to yourself.
It seems to me that the second but smaller wave of cases and deaths nationwide this summer appears directly tied to the imposition of mask mandates in the late spring. With the widespread use of dirty masks, all of which were pathogen bombs on people’s faces, the infection rate rose.
Now available in hardback and paperback as well as ebook!
From the press release: In this ground-breaking new history of early America, historian Robert Zimmerman not only exposes the lie behind The New York Times 1619 Project that falsely claims slavery is central to the history of the United States, he also provides profound lessons about the nature of human societies, lessons important for Americans today as well as for all future settlers on Mars and elsewhere in space.
Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space, is a riveting page-turning story that documents how slavery slowly became pervasive in the southern British colonies of North America, colonies founded by a people and culture that not only did not allow slavery but in every way were hostile to the practice.
Conscious Choice does more however. In telling the tragic history of the Virginia colony and the rise of slavery there, Zimmerman lays out the proper path for creating healthy societies in places like the Moon and Mars.
“Zimmerman’s ground-breaking history provides every future generation the basic framework for establishing new societies on other worlds. We would be wise to heed what he says.” —Robert Zubrin, founder of founder of the Mars Society.
All editions are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all book vendors, with the ebook priced at $5.99 before discount. The ebook can also be purchased direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit, in which case you don't support the big tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
Autographed printed copies are also available at discount directly from me (hardback $24.95; paperback $14.95; Shipping cost for either: $5.00). Just email me at zimmerman @ nasw dot org.
On September 25, 2020 the Republican governor of Florida, Ron De Santis, lifted all mandates on mask use while ending all restrictions on restaurants
He was immediately lambasted by numerous Democratic Party Florida mayors as well as:
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who warned that the change is “very concerning to me. When you’re dealing with community spread, and you have the kind of congregate setting where people get together, particularly without masks, you’re really asking for trouble.”
The mayor of Miami Beach, Democrat Dan Gelber, was especially harsh, stating in a letter to De Santis that
“the notion that we are still debating (a mask mandate) seems incomprehensible given the recent infections of the First Family, and the horrific impact the virus has had on our own residents.”[emphasis mine]
I highlight the word “horrific” beause the only truly horrible thing about this epidemic is the nightmare of making everyone wear masks at all times even as they see their jobs vanish and their businesses destroyed.
These critics were also certain the freedom to not use masks would immediately cause a spike in the infection rate in Florida.
NOT. It is two weeks later, when you’d expect to start seeing a rise in cases, and there is none.
The graph to the right (source here) illustrates this. There has been no obvious increase in either cases or deaths. From the link:
Data gleaned from the Florida Department of Health … shows that the positivity rate remains relatively steady, standing at 4.57 percent as of Wednesday and even reaching a low of 3.73 percent earlier in the week.
New cases also appear to remain steady following DeSantis’s move, ranging from 810 new daily cases (reported September 27) to over 3,300 reported on Thursday. Notably, the case number has fluctuated over the past month, reaching 3,651 on September 10, roughly two weeks prior to DeSantis lifting restrictions.
A brief look at fatalities by the date of death shows a downward trend as well:
Moreover, the local governments controlled by Democrats began to institute mask mandates in July, which is exactly when there was a rise in cases in that state, followed soon thereafter by a rise in deaths.
The evidence that masks can limit the spread of the coronavirus remains highly disputed. What is not disputed is that if you use a mask improperly, touching it and not cleaning it after removal, as everyone does, you almost guarantee you are acting to spread disease to yourself.
It seems to me that the second but smaller wave of cases and deaths nationwide this summer appears directly tied to the imposition of mask mandates in the late spring. With the widespread use of dirty masks, all of which were pathogen bombs on people’s faces, the infection rate rose.
Now available in hardback and paperback as well as ebook!
From the press release: In this ground-breaking new history of early America, historian Robert Zimmerman not only exposes the lie behind The New York Times 1619 Project that falsely claims slavery is central to the history of the United States, he also provides profound lessons about the nature of human societies, lessons important for Americans today as well as for all future settlers on Mars and elsewhere in space.
Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space, is a riveting page-turning story that documents how slavery slowly became pervasive in the southern British colonies of North America, colonies founded by a people and culture that not only did not allow slavery but in every way were hostile to the practice.
Conscious Choice does more however. In telling the tragic history of the Virginia colony and the rise of slavery there, Zimmerman lays out the proper path for creating healthy societies in places like the Moon and Mars.
“Zimmerman’s ground-breaking history provides every future generation the basic framework for establishing new societies on other worlds. We would be wise to heed what he says.” —Robert Zubrin, founder of founder of the Mars Society.
All editions are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all book vendors, with the ebook priced at $5.99 before discount. The ebook can also be purchased direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit, in which case you don't support the big tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
Autographed printed copies are also available at discount directly from me (hardback $24.95; paperback $14.95; Shipping cost for either: $5.00). Just email me at zimmerman @ nasw dot org.
speechless.