As of Friday, June 26th, 2020, according to Executive Decree 20-03 from the Washington State Secretary of Health, “Every person in Washington State must wear a face covering that covers their noses when in any indoor or outdoor public setting.”
Initially it was just for Yakima County, which appears to be experiencing an increase in community spread. But, just like the stay at home orders of this past March, our thoughtful governor doesn’t want to leave anybody out of the fun no matter what the China Virus situation is where they live.
It should concern you that this is being done by one man, Governor Jay Inslee, whose self-declared emergency powers, as defined by state law, should have expired on the 31st of March, thirty days after declaration. I have seen no effective push back from our elected representatives, no debate in the halls of the House or Senate in Olympia, no emergency session called to extend or terminate these powers.
I read through executive decree 20-03 so you don’t have to. Here are some of the highlights: At least for now there are exceptions that allow removal of a face covering. I picked a handful that might help deliver some clarity to Jefferson County:
–We are not required to wear a mask while driving alone in a car.
–We are not required to wear a mask while engaged in indoor or outdoor exercise activities.
–We are not required to wear a mask while sleeping.
And just in case you were wondering, in a delicious irony, the governor’s order does not apply to persons who are incarcerated. So breaking the mask decree, and incurring the penalty of losing freedom, could be another possible option for those among us committed to the no mask ideology.
Asking nicely doesn’t please our dear leader anymore. Governor Inslee has made it clear that members of the public are required by law to comply with his order, and violators may be subject to criminal penalties. Businesses that don’t comply could face the loss of a license, fines, or injunctions.
If this sounds authoritarian, it is. But I will let you in on a secret. On Washington State’s Coronavirus.gov website, the second question on the most-frequently-asked list for Governor Jay Inslee’s order, reads as follows:
Q: I have a reason I cannot wear a facemask. Am I required to document or prove that?
And the answer from the same Washington State website:
A: This order does not require you to document or prove a reason for not wearing a face covering.
When is this all going to end? In pursuit of that answer, I have spent more time than I care to remember asking questions of bureaucrats and their minions over the last few months. I have learned that the bureaucracies overseeing our existence are organized in a top down manner. The top tells everyone in the bureaucracy what to do and everyone’s job is to do it. There is no room for creative solutions, no reward for out-of-the box thinking, no adjusting for reality on the ground.
As far as the top is concerned, the guidelines for operating in the center of a virus outbreak in Yakima should be exactly the same as for operating in the center of a non-virus outbreak in Port Townsend.
The top has decided that masking and social distancing are what needs to be done, and the bureaucracies are moving forward with this plan. Whether these methods are effective, or not, no longer matters.
As for when masking will end, I quote Sandy Gessner, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum for the Port Townsend School District, from a recent online meeting with parents to explain the current plan for the upcoming school year. Please remember, more than likely this is not her policy. This is the policy she has been given by her superiors: “All students must wear a mask until there is a vaccine…or we have herd immunity.”
The future for our students is the future for us.
If you are wearing a facemask and it makes you feel better, then by all means don’t stop.
If you aren’t wearing a facemask, and the governor threatens you with criminal penalties, just say “I Can’t Breathe.”
Brett Nunn has spent the last two decades in Port Townsend's Uptown, raising a family, volunteering at local schools and wandering the outdoors. He writes about survival, community and culture. He is the author of the book, "Panic Rising: True-Life Survivor Tales from the Great Outdoors."
And what happens if and when the vaccine/herd immunity are reached? What next? I have asked people if they would be willing to wear a mask forever, due to the possibility of infecting someone with the seasonal flu or common cold, which also kill many thousands of vulnerable people every year and also have an incubation period during which the virus is contagious while asymptomatic, albeit a shorter time (3 to 5 days). A few actually said yes. The rest either just stared at me or got very angry.