From Nathaniel Schexnayder

Monroe

To the editor:

I am not in favor of mandatory masks in Monroe. As of the writing of this letter, there has been one fatality in Green County due to complications with coronavirus (according to the health department’s website). Furthermore, there are just seven active cases and only one hospitalization. Those pushing mandatory masks in Monroe act as though there is a raging pandemic in our town, but the numbers countywide don’t reflect that.

When Green County briefly resumed the Safer at Home order after the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the state-wide order, I spoke to a nurse in the health department who defended the continued lockdown. Back then, health officials still held that the lockdowns were about flattening the curve. However, both now and then, it doesn’t appear than Green County or the surrounding region are in danger of overwhelming the healthcare system, even with an uptick in cases (mirroring vastly increased testing). In fact, it appears Wisconsin deaths peaked back in April and has been trending downwards. However, this local push to mandate masks appears to ignore available evidence and wants to force everyone to wear a facemask in indoor public spaces, although the vast majority of citizens are perfectly healthy.

I fear requiring facemasks will further hurt local Monroe businesses by causing folks to take their business elsewhere. I fear requiring mandatory facemasks will continue to drive a wedge between people. I know of several situations where a perfectly healthy person who was not wearing a mask has been mistreated and viciously accused of trying to kill people because they have chosen not to wear a face covering.

I think if individuals are concerned about getting coronavirus, they should avoid public areas. Many stores are accommodating these decisions through delivery, curbside pickup, and other services. If someone prefers to wear a facemask in public, they should be free to make that choice. But I do not want Monroe to bully perfectly healthy people to make a health decision they do not believe in. And, as I said earlier, I do not think our current county numbers justify the mandate.