Sedgwick County Commission to residents: Wear a mask (wink, wink)
With COVID-19 cases “exploding” in the Wichita area and local hospitals sounding warning calls about the spread of the coronavirus, we needed Sedgwick County leaders to govern.
We needed them to show courage, leadership and spine.
We needed them to listen to medical experts, hospital officials and business leaders who said a mask mandate is our best bet to curb the spread of COVID-19 and to safeguard our economy from another mass shutdown.
Instead, they weaseled out.
By a vote of 3-2, the Sedgwick County Commission rejected Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide order to wear masks in public spaces, instead opting for recommendations over rules.
Rather than sending a clear message to protect public health — wear a mask, period — they decided to be that parent who begs and pleads but never acts:
We mean it, Sedgwick County. Wear a mask, or you’ll be in trouble (wink, wink). We’re counting to three: One . . . two . . . two and a half . . . two and three-quarters . . .
It’s weak. It’s impotent. And it has proven dangerously ineffective over the past month, ever since the last time the commission chose suggestions over clear limits and sent the number of active COVID-19 cases soaring.
“We’ve seen that recommendations don’t work. People don’t comply,” Commissioner Lacey Cruse said before voting against the measure.
“Our strong recommendations have landed us over 100 new cases in 24 hours. Our strong recommendations now have completely overwhelmed our health department,” she said.
“To not mandate a mask is to say, ‘OK, do whatever you want,’ and keep the cases climbing.”
Cruse voted no because she thought masks should be mandated. Commissioner Jim Howell voted no because he favors “limited government and personal responsibility.”
Commission Chairman Pete Meitzner said he appreciated hearing from local business leaders in a Zoom call earlier in the day and that he has “incredible trust” in how businesses are handling things.
He apparently didn’t hear or trust Aaron Bastian, president and CEO of Fidelity Bank, who supported the statewide mask mandate:
“In this environment, I think it’s the right thing to do to mandate it,” he said. “I think it’s pressure that will call us all to our best selves, to make sure we avoid passing around this virus.”
Meitzner must not have heard or trusted county Health Director Adrienne Byrne, who said the number of COVID-19 cases are “just exploding,” reinforcing the need for more stringent safety precautions.
He must not have heard or trusted Sedgwick County’s own public health officer, Dr. Garold Minns, who supported the mandate and said masks are “probably the most innocuous, painless . . . intervention we can do.”
Shortly before Thursday’s vote, Meitzner said he will keep watching the numbers. If the trajectory keeps climbing, he said, he’ll summon another meeting and reconsider.
We hope that happens. Unfortunately, that will be too late for people who could be infected this weekend — some of them, no doubt, by people who refuse to wear a mask.
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 8:08 PM.