Time to End Mask Mandates
Updated: Feb 14, 2021
Senator Adrienne Southworth (R) has introduced SB 158 ending the statewide mask mandate in Kentucky that Governor Beshear has issued. Did you know that even if the pandemic over COVID-19 was declared over in Kentucky by either Governor Beshear or through legislative action (which they can do as he signed a bill last year allowing them to make that decision if he does not end it himself by the time he came back) the mask mandate could last another 9 months? The reason it could last another 9 months has to do with the nature of Administrative Regulations developed during an emergency. So depending on the timing of his latest Executive Order regarding masks, even if the pandemic is declared over the citizens of Kentucky could be required to ear masks potentially up to 9 more months.
Senator Southworth's SB 158 would not end your personal preference to wear a mask in public if you so desired. SB 158 would not end a business ability to require masks to do business with them. SB 158 does not take away a local governments ability to require a mask locally. There has been much fear mongering about this legislation, but not a lot of rational talk. States across the country are starting to lift their mask mandates most recently Iowa and Montana lifting theirs, and only 35 of the 50 states have one currently. The sky will not fall if a mask mandate is lifted. Another reason to lift the mandate is with more and more people getting vaccinated it will less of a necessity (if it ever was one). The science behind masks have been suspect from day one. At first we were told not to wear a mask as it would do no good, then it turns out that may have been a lie to preserve the masks for the medical community. Then we were told to wear a masks, and now with a vaccine we are told to wear 2 masks 10 months into this pandemic. All of these recommendations have come from Dr. Fauci.
Here is a brief breakdown of how the masks work, or don't
The N95 which is considered the gold standard, would prevent your from getting the virus, but only has a shelf life of 8 hours, there are not enough for all the people to use that frequently. Further it may actually cause you to give the virus to others easily if you have it because of the valve which funnels the air your breathing out into a concentrated area blowing it further.
The Surgical Mask will prevent you from giving the virus to others in the short-term as it is designed for surgery to protect the patient; however, it is not designed to keep contaminates out. These masks also have a low shelf life and must be changed out frequently.
The Cloth Masks which vary from a bandana to a microfiber material. Microfiber is considered the best, but even then it is only about 80% effective at keeping the virus out, or in for that matter. While these are more coinvent as they can be washed, they tend to get moisture on the more easily (all masks can if worn long enough) thus causing an aerosol stronger than that of what naturally occurs without a mask when one breaths causing more of the virus to be transmitted.
For more science behind masks and if they work check out this video, it is about an hour long, but it collects a lot of information from a lot of studies pre-COVID about the efficacy of masks, it also breaks down studies conducted during COVID that try and prove masks do work, but when you dig into the details the belief that masks will protect you is not really true.
If masks truly worked then why on earth did Kentucky's numbers continue to skyrocket all the while Governor Beshear had a mask mandate in place since about June. Now all the sudden in the past 4 weeks or so (coincidental timing? we think not), Kentucky's numbers are going down, which is a combination of the WHO which the US rejoined changed how PCR tests should be conducted as they may have been giving too many false positives and the vaccine getting distributed.
Another bit of evidence we don't need the masks as they have not been working is supposedly the flu is down (which we have had a vaccine for for years and we know how to handle) but COVID did not go down until recently. This means one of two things, either masks don't work against COVID or somehow someway flu cases have become intertwined with COVID diagnoses.
There are also many among us who cannot for health reasons not wear a mask, and even though accommodations are supposed to be made to help these individuals, that help often falls flat. It's time were were treated like adults again capable of making our own decisions regarding our health and not the state. This concept of the Public Good being greater than the Rights of the Individual needs to die before we go down a very dark path as a society.
Call your State Senator at 1-800-372-7181 or email them and tell them to pass SB 158 ending the mask mandate.
Call and email Senate Leadership and tell them you support an end to the mask mandate and to pass SB 158
Call or email Senator Southworth and thank her for her efforts to repeal the mask mandate.
Tell as many people as possible to call in and support SB 158.
