At the Jan. 18 Brunswick Town Council Meeting, public comments against the inside mask mandate (with only one mask advocate) were either opinion or evidence-based. Both were powerful. Many residents, weary from two years of government mandates, are refusing to cave in to an atmosphere of fear, panic and despair. Their personal statements were eloquent and understandably expressed with some frustration and anger.
Some residents offered evidence about the ineffectiveness of cloth and surgical masks. The Brunswick mandate encompasses a wide range of mask types, the quality of which cannot be determined by superficial observation. This mandate may make people feel safer without offering them much actual protection. Even worse, it may lull the unvaccinated into a false sense of security by providing an illusionary protective screen and disincentivize vaccination. Is this mask mandate effective? The answer is no.
A few residents presented compelling statistics documenting the high vaccination rate in Brunswick (now at 87%) and the low hospitalization and death rates from COVID in Brunswick and Cumberland County, most being among the unvaccinated.
In addition, Maine’s current omicron surge is leading to a lower rate of hospitalizations among those infected, 1.1% (Bangor Daily News, Jan. 18). Vaccinations are 90% effective at keeping those with Omicron out of hospitals and 82% effective at preventing the need for emergency care (USA Today, Jan. 21). Omicron (a.k.a. Omi-cold) generally produces mild symptoms among the vaccinated and offers immunity against previous variants (Dr. Marty MaKary, John Hopkins, Dec. 28, 2021). Herein lies the crux of the matter. Is this mask mandate necessary? The answer is no.
The criteria for a mandate imposed by nine people (Brunswick Town Council) on the citizens and businesses of Brunswick should be: highly effective, beneficial, and reasonable. This mandate is unreliable, counterproductive and absurd.
At the upcoming Feb. 8 meeting, the Brunswick Town Council should immediately rescind the mask mandate, encourage those who are still concerned about COVID transmission to wear N95 masks, and leave the rest of us alone.
Mask mandates have never been about controlling COVID. They have always been about controlling people.
Nancy Chesley,
Brunswick
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
