As predicted, this week is filled with fear and recriminations about COVID-19 as Election Day nears. The Biden campaign—cognizant of the fact that the Left has turned the president’s handling of coronavirus into his biggest political weakness—along with the unhinged news media, is exploiting every case and death in a ghoulish attempt to defeat Donald Trump on November 3.
The alleged “party of science” is condemning the president for failing to “control” the novel coronavirus, which is the most unsciency thing ever because it’s impossible to control a virus without the widespread use of immunizations over a long period of time and even that isn’t a guarantee. Only a few deadly viruses in history, perhaps unbeknownst to the Democratic Party’s credentialed class, have been completely eradicated.
The annual flu vaccine can combat just a handful of influenza strains. The Centers for Disease Control admits that “Flu viruses are constantly changing so it’s not unusual for new flu viruses to appear each year.” Despite Herculean efforts to “control” influenza, a vaccine is only about 40 to 60 percent effective. Millions of Americans still contract the illness and tens of thousands, including children, die each year. This year’s vaccine targets a form of the Hong Kong flu first identified in 1968, the year I was born.
But somehow, Donald Trump was supposed to contain, control, or completely stop a novel (that means new) coronavirus within a matter of months. Joe Biden warns that if he’s elected, he will initiate all sorts of virus-killing measures, most of which already have been implemented by the Trump Administration. “I’m going to shut down the virus not the country,” Biden, who it must be noted is not an epidemiologist, promised at last week’s debate.
The Democratic nominee and his running mate also have pledged to issue a national mask mandate. While the details keep changing and remain somewhat fuzzy, here’s the deal: a President Joe Biden will force Americans to wear a face covering until the virus is under “control,” which means his diktat could last several more months if not years.
“Wear a mask!” is the refuge of the scientifically uninformed and politically expedient, a guttural grunt that means nothing but says everything. There isn’t a single study that proves a cheap piece of dyed cloth loosely tied around someone’s face and mouth for hours on end every single day for months does anything to minimize the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus; in fact, the only randomized controlled study on mask use and COVID-19 has been rejected by major scientific journals. One of the Danish researchers who conducted the study said it will be published “as soon as a journal is brave enough to accept the paper,” suggesting it refutes mask-wearing recommendations promoted by the world’s health “experts.”
Further, states and countries with the highest rates of individual mask use have not “controlled” the virus. If masks worked, states such as Illinois and New Jersey would be COVID free.
Republican and Democratic governors alike unleash routine “wear a mask!” tantrums to make it look like they’re doing something very, very serious about it. After all, hectoring their constituents about masks is far easier than having big boy conversations about the realities of infectious diseases.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is famous for his “wear a mask!” outbursts even as he violates his own decree and has the blood of thousands of helpless nursing home patients on his manuscript-weary but well-manicured hands.
It’s not just weaseling politicians who push face coverings. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration who daily rattles the American public with doomsday predictions about the virus while ginning up government business for the Big Pharma corporations he represents, called for a national mask mandate in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Monday.
“As deaths rise this winter, policy makers will have to take new steps to slow the rate of spread,” the Pfizer board member advised. “Masks would help. A mandate can be expressly limited to the next two months. The inconvenience would allow the country to preserve health-care capacity and keep more schools and businesses open.”
Gottlieb downplayed the need for government enforcement mechanisms; the mandate should be advertised as a societal courtesy similar to “no shoes no service” requests at restaurants.
Gottlieb’s prescription, however, is weak. What’s the point of a mandate if it lacks teeth? So I say, if the country is going to submit to a national mask mandate, let’s do it right:
Medical-grade masks only: No more cutesy coverings with sports team logos or political messages. Gottlieb admits that cotton masks offer minimal protection; Americans therefore should be forced to buy medical-grade masks such as an N-95 under a national mandate. But make sure the N-95 mask isn’t made in China as those products are inferior and don’t effectively filter particles in the air. Medical-grade masks are pricey, though, and if you have a family the purchase could set you back a bit. But, hey, we’re all in this together!
Masks must be worn at home: Since the household is the top vector to spread the virus, masks must be worn inside the home at all times. If you sleep with your spouse, in lieu of a mask, a plexiglass partition should be constructed in the middle of the bed; especially if someone snores—just think of all those infected droplets poisoning the bedroom air for eight hours! Masks can only be removed during meals but family members cannot speak to each other because more invisible droplets could infect the air around the dinner table. Time to brush up on that sign language you taught the kids before they could talk! Ditto for the family truckster: Mask up.
Masks must be properly sanitized and stored each day: A national mandate must require Americans to wash the mask each night. This involves the use of a powerful bleach concoction followed by a thorough drying process. Wearers must be able to prove to authorities that the mask has been cleaned in a government-approved manner. Since the constant removal and replacement of a face mask leads to contamination, masks should be worn at all times during the day. No taking off and on, stuffing it in your purse or pocket, or resting underneath your chin.
Fines must be imposed: The only way to ensure full compliance with a national mask mandate is to punish people who defy it. Anyone caught without a mask, either in public or inside their own home, will face a hefty fine which will double with each subsequent violation. Property could be confiscated and parents could be investigated for child endangerment if they are caught without a mask less than six feet from their son or daughter. Repeat offenders could face jail time for endangering the public’s health or attempted murder.
Mask mandate should remain in place until there are zero infections: The virus won’t be “shut down” as Biden pledged until the country has a 100 percent negative test outcome. Every American should be required to take a test on a daily basis; even one positive test is one too many. There’s no point in a national mask mandate if we give in too soon, right?
It’s time for the mask pushers and shamers to get serious. And I assume if Joe Biden wins, that’s exactly what he will do.