COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders
— from Brenda Cowan for Department of Emergency Management —
On April 5, following guidance from the Centers For Disease Control and the Washington State Department of Health, we asked islanders to cover their faces when in close proximity to people from outside their household. San Juan County residents listened and for many, masks become a regular part
of life. By making this commitment, islanders took a big step to further reduce the risk of disease transmission in our community.
According to San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James this effort continues to be a vital recommendation, “As we head into the next phase of this crisis, the wearing of face coverings is a vital tool in keeping our community safe. While case numbers have fallen dramatically, the risk of a second surge is very real. Mask wearing will help make sure that as we slowly reopen our economy, we avoid needing to close it back down again.”
“I can’t say it any more directly — this is actually a matter of life and death.” –Dr. Frank James
Covering our faces is truly an example of a community coming together to fight a common foe. If we have the illness but are feeling healthy, face coverings greatly reduce our potential to infect others. This sort of spread was a big part of how COVID-19 got a foothold in Washington, and avoiding it in the future will let us get about our lives as quickly as possible. Covering your face also reduces the chance that you’ll touch your nose or mouth with your hands.
Just because you’ve covered your face doesn’t mean that social distancing isn’t important. As some restrictions may start to be incrementally relaxed, we should all still be thoughtful about avoiding unnecessary contact with people from outside of our household, especially larger groups. And when we do need to gather or interact with the public, masks should be as commonplace as shirts and shoes.
Remember that some people can’t wear masks due to underlying medical conditions. That’s perfectly OK, and please start with the assumption when you see someone without a mask that they have a reason for it. We want to avoid shaming and judging, and instead come from a place of empathy and
decency.
Dr. James wants to highlight just how important this effort is, “I can’t say it any more directly — this is actually a matter of life and death. The islands have a population with lots of high-risk residents. We also have an economy that is fragile and concentrated in just a few industries. In order to get back to work, we need to do everything we can to protect our community- both from ourselves, but also when visitors may eventually start to return. Covering our faces is the frontline of that fight.”
Face coverings don’t need to be complicated or expensive. A number of people in the islands are making and distributing simple masks, they’re available commercially, and bandanas, scarves, or other fabic coverings can work well. Any masks worn should not have an exhalation valve, as that totally defeats the purpose.
In conclusion, we want to remind the islands that these actions matter, that they’re going to be with us for a while, and that the better we are at doing this, the safer our community will be and the sooner we can start to restore our economy. So support your neighbors, support staff at the grocery stores, and support small business owners who want to get back to work.
Cover you face. Thank you.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
If Dr. James believes masks are critical to reducing spread, would it make sense to look at making it mandatory for at least the summer months? Social norms on the islands probably will not mean much to visitors, but if it is a county ordinance that masks will be worn in public, then visitors can be informed of that expectation when they make reservations for accommodations and perhaps before they board ferries entering the county.
Thank you for noting that an exhalation valve defeats the purpose. (Note that in the new poster series, one picture features a mask with an exhalation valve). Does touching the mask contaminate it? The COVID19 team (including the Surgeon General) the other day brandished their masks by pulling them out of their pockets then sticking them back in. Likewise, members of congress violated numerous standards of hygiene fiddling with their masks on the floor of the House.If you wear your mask in a store, take it off when you get in your car (after sanitizing your hands) and put it back on when you go to the Post Office is that effective? If you do take it off, where do you put it in the car? Is the seat, your pocket or purse then contaminated? Most people appear to be wearing cloth masks. Do these need to be sanitized after every use? In the dryer? Sunlight? Should they be brought into the house? Cars? So many questions…inquiring minds want to know. Thanks.
“Remember that some people can’t wear masks due to underlying medical conditions. That’s perfectly OK, and please start with the assumption when you see someone without a mask that they have a reason for it. We want to avoid shaming and judging, and instead come from a place of empathy and decency.” – Dr. James
“a county ordinance that masks will be worn in public” – Candidate for County Council
OI Reports to date: Diagnosed cases in county: 14 / Deaths in county: 0
“So many questions…inquiring minds want to know.” – County Resident
Fascinating
I’m pleased to see that grocery clerks at Island Market and employees at Ray’s Pharmacy are essentially all wearing masks now, after some delay since the April 5 recommendations. These are essential workers who should be protected almost as much as doctors, nurses and EMTs.
let’s all wear masks forever as a sign of submission to our new socialist overlords. baa, baa, baa. bandannas and old t-shirts are not effective anyway.
Scott, good thing you ripped up your “socialist” stimulus check on principle.
Masks?! What a ridiculous idea! Probably best to take advice from THE demented overlord. What was his latest recommendation; something about taking lysol or ISP alcohol internally… problem solved.
Luther, I did not mean to offend you with my sarcastic comment. I did not receive a stimulus check because I am not dependent upon the government for my well-being. I am glad that you received yours.
The mask fetish is just that. SJC is not NYC.
I wear a mask partly because it reduces the risk I will spread droplets that might infect the rest of you. This is not a fetish. It’s science. Now, Scott, maybe you read in the research papers, as I did, that masks don’t help much with aerosols (different than droplets). I agree, but droplets are an issue at close range. Maybe you read research about how cloth masks are only minimally effective at protecting from other people’s infectious respirations. Again that’s true, but my mask is meant to protect YOU (from me pesky droplets), not me.
I wear a mask partly for a non-scientific reason: to help build a sense that we in this community care about each other. This is a socialist idea, of course, but also a good idea.
SJC is not NYC– we want to be better than they are. Don’t wear a mask because your overlord wants you to. Wear it because you care how we feel.
Thanks, James, you made my point.
Merriam-Webster defines “fetish” as “an object …believed to have magical power to protect or aid its owner; broadly : a material object regarded with superstitious or extravagant trust or reverence”.
My ill-advised sarcastic comment was a personal reaction to the heavy-handed references in the subject article that this was “actually a matter of life and death” and to social shaming. I care very much for the people of Orcas island as it has been my primary residence for many years. I am a member of the vulnerable population. I wear a blue mask when shopping and will wear an n95 mask on an airplane to protect myself despite the fact that it has an exhalation valve.
Here on Kauai, (population 67,000) we have no active cases because mayor Kawakami imposed a nighttime curfew, and strictly enforced isolation and quarantine orders with KPD roadblocks and airport screening of every arrival. But no fear-based social shaming.
Thank you for the constructive response, Scott. I see your point, and I’m with you on this one: no merely fear-based social shaming.