If some people find it annoying to wear masks, I’d like to point out a clear example why we do.
I recently came from Santa Cruz County, Arizona, population 46,000, mostly rural with one larger town, very similar to La Plata County. In my experience, most people in Santa Cruz County don’t wear masks or practice social distancing. Three weeks ago, they had 733 cases and six deaths and about 100 new cases every two days; 46% of the cases were in young people 25-44 years old and only 12% in people age 65 and older.
Contrast that with La Plata County, population 56,000; with the city of Durango mandating masks and social distancing, La Plata then had 84 cases and one death and community transmission was continuing to stay very low. This is not a random difference. Masks and social distancing work.
I talked to a downtown merchant who said it was an enormous relief to him and his wife when Durango announced mandatory masks, making them and their staff feel much safer about opening up.
This new coronavirus doesn’t care about our politics. It is a public health issue, not a political issue. Our community has shown that when we work together and truly care about each other, we can limit the spread and the inevitable deaths that follow it.
Thank you, city of Durango, for your leadership and courage in this crisis.
Jenny WrennDurango
