We see the commercials constantly: wear a mask to slow the spread. And, seriously, in most places, most people do wear the mask. We’ve been wearing them in most states per mandates since the end of May. Yet
States Announce Crackdowns as Virus Numbers Reach New Highs
Pennsylvania announced statewide restrictions on Thursday that ban indoor dining and close gyms, theaters and casinos for three weeks to stem a “dire†surge in coronavirus cases, and Virginians were asked to stay home from midnight to 5 a.m. until the new year.
The clampdowns came as states across the country reported deaths and cases in numbers never seen before, and hospitals filled beyond capacity. Through Wednesday, there were seven-day records in both cases and deaths.
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf was unsparing Thursday in his characterization of the threat facing his state.
“This virus continues to rage in Pennsylvania,†Mr. Wolf said at a news conference. “Clearly we need to take future mitigation actions and stop the spread of Covid-19. We all hoped it would not come to this. The current state of the surge in Pennsylvania will not allow us to wait.â€
Pennsylvania has sharpened their original mask mandate a few times. So did North Carolina and many states
And in Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam announced a new executive order that imposes a nightly curfew, but it was unclear how — and how vigorously — it would be enforced.
The order lists categories of activity that will still be permitted during the curfew, including obtaining food, goods or services; seeking medical or law enforcement help; taking care of people or animals; child care; exercise; traveling to work, school or a house of worship; volunteering for charity; and leaving home to seek safety.
Oklahoma also limited indoor activity, restricting indoor youth sporting events and public gatherings — which includes weddings, funerals and holiday parties held at event centers — to 50 percent capacity for the next 30 days. Places of worship are excluded.
Both states have long had mask mandates and both have sharpened them over time.
The new daily record of coronavirus deaths is a stunning number in and of itself.
But it’s not just that at least 3,055 deaths were reported on Wednesday for the first time since the pandemic began, far surpassing the spring peak of 2,752 deaths. It’s that the nation lost 3,055 people who once blew out birthday candles, had triumphs and stumbles, and laughed and cried — before succumbing to the virus.
In a single day, the country, numbed and divided, lost more Americans to the coronavirus than were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks or the attack on Pearl Harbor.
And it appears far from over.
Yet, the majority of people have been following the rules, some by police force, since February. Most wear masks and don’t fight it. Perhaps they don’t actually, you know, really work? It’s certainly not a conservative thing to not wear them and get it, as we’re seeing COVID explode in heavy Democratic Party run areas. So, how will Joe’s “everyone wear a mask for 100 days” succeed?
