Wear a mask!

This shouldn't be that difficult. We're in the middle of a global pandemic. The number of people infected, and the number of dead, are sobering. Our own country is among the worst hit in the world, and our number of infections is spiking in the last week or two. 50,000 Americans were infected just yesterday.

Facemasks Amidst all of this, there is one effective and minimally invasive precaution we can take that has been scientifically proven to reduce the number of infections. Wearing a facemask.

But this simple action has been tagged as a political act by some people.

To be perfectly clear. Wearing facemasks is not a political statement. This is a matter of public safety. Masks reduce the rate of infection. They don't cause health problems. Many businesses provide one if you don't have one. They aren't required of people with breathing issues or children under five. And this is what Americans do! We rally to each other, we help each other, and we fight together. Wearing a mask is for everyone's health and safety.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed an executive order requiring the wearing of facemasks in public starting tomorrow, July 3, 2020.

This is an issue that should not have political overtones. That it does is an indictment of the political leaders who have made it so. President Donald Trump, who has infamously refused to wear a mask in his many public appearances, even stating to the American people that he won't wear one. Senate President Susan Wagle and other legislative leaders, who have hamstrung state health officials by countermanding the Governor's orders. And in Kansas' most populous county, Johnson County Commissioner Mike Brown has argued that masks should not be required because they infringe on his freedoms.

Leaders like these are wrong to dismiss health professionals whose literal job it is to keep the public safe. As today dawned, Johnson County was still debating whether to overrule the Governor's mask order, a power granted to them by Sen. Wagle and her leadership team at the end of the legislative session this year. But just after noon, after hours of public comment, the Johnson County Commissioners voted to mandate mask wearing in public as long as the state does. Voting against were Commissioners Mike Brown and Steve Klika.

Wear your masks tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future. The lives of your family, friends and neighbors literally depend on it.

Here's some reading if you need to catch up:

As always, we are very interested to hear your comments or reactions to everything we do. Reply to this email, or use our contact form to get in touch.

Thank you,

Danny Novo
Communications Director

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