Masking Las Vegas
Mask wearing seems to annoy a certain group of Americans as much as the annual tithing to the IRS. These folks say there is no science backing what is now just a request by businesses and governments to wear a mask to hinder the spread of Covid-19. Some complain the masks trigger claustrophobia.
The wearing of a mask, or not, now determines whether you are a real libertarian, or a boot licking statist. The belly-aching freedom lovers act as if wearing a mask is the equivalent of having a cop's knee on their throat for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
The Mayo Clinic asks and answers,
Can face masks help prevent the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19? Yes, face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing, help slow the spread of the virus.
Britain’s Cambridge and Greenwich universities combined to produce a study that suggests “even homemade masks can dramatically reduce transmission rates if enough people wear them in public,” reports Kate Kelland for the Washington Post. “Our analyses support the immediate and universal adoption of face masks by the public,” said Richard Stutt, who co-led the study at Cambridge.
Las Vegas is starting to open and the Gaming Control Board suggests that casino patrons wear masks, but have not made it a requirement. Covid deniers will say it won’t make any difference. The fact that Vegas is a miles long and wide Petri dish of folks and their germs from everywhere doesn’t dent their enthusiasm having everyone go maskless and party like it’s 1999. After all, Covid is yesterday’s news, they say. If those crazy young people can crowd the streets to protest, everything must be A-okay. Plus, hey, it’s hot in Vegas and Trump’s going to pack ‘em in in Tulsa (waiver required). The coast must be clear.
The constant argument about Covid shutdowns, social distancing and other inconveniences is the government's ham-handed response is killing “the economy.” This brings to mind Margaret Thatcher’s famous quip, “There is no such thing as society,” which, although long since underground, she is still criticized for. “There are only the individuals, families, groups, associations and organizations that make it up,” writes economist William Watson to finish her thought. Likewise, he explains, “there is no such thing as ‘the economy’. There are only the people, groups, associations, etc. that make it up.”
The Las Vegas Sun gathered reports from various visitors concerning the re-opened Las Vegas.
“I think that shows a certain arrogance,” said Cathy Goings, who was visiting from Clarksburg, West Virginia, with her husband.
“Here in Las Vegas, you have visitors from all over the country — all over the world. We think it’s important to wear a mask, but not everybody else does,” she said.
Lexi Miller estimated about 40% of the tourists she had seen were wearing face coverings.
“From what I’ve seen, about 30% of people here are wearing masks. I thought it would be more than that,” Connie Argueta said.
“My son is thinking of taking his family here on a trip, so I told him I’d give him a report,” she said. “Right now, I’d tell him that I think it’s a little iffy.”
In a letter to the editor to the Las Vegas Review Journal Denise Westerfield writes,
We thought that common sense would prevail and masks would be required wearing.
Our disappointment is manifest and our reservations will be canceled. Such a shame that Americans can’t have a little common sense and do what is needed to get the country moving again. Such a small thing. Wear a mask and protect your fellow citizens.
Making money may require mandatory mask-wearing in libertarian Las Vegas.
