I live in Medford, currently the worse county in the state for COVID infections. Watching the numbers of victims rise daily is the sad reality here.
Why is Oregon doing so bad with this latest surge?
Last year at this time we had the numbers of infections under control, and ranked among the top states with the least amount of outbreaks.
One of the reasons is burn-out. People are tired of complying with the new masking rules and just want to return to "normal."
Unfortunately that's not possible. And to make matters worse Oregonians are ignoring the science and fighting face masks in schools and other public places.
For example, the superintendent of the rural Alsea School District told parents they can sidestep the governor's mask requirement by applying for an accommodation for their children under federal disabilities law.
According to superintendent Marc Thielman, "The majority of my parents are skeptical and no longer believing what they're told," as if that was a legitimate excuse.
School starts tomorrow.
Governor Kate Brown was shocked that Thielman was undermining her policies {the science} by "Instructing students to lie about having a disability."
For the record, Thielman is planning to run for governor next year. It appears he's building up his crazy creds to attract right-wing voters.
Not everyone has decided to board the "mask skeptic train," however.
Oregon resident Jenny Jonak, who has an 11-year-old daughter with autism and health problems that make her more susceptible to the current Delta variant, said wearing masks is a "very small inconvenience" to protect vulnerable."
The key to reversing this surge is vaccination and taking proper safety precautions.
Having students lie about face masks is not the solution. It's the problem. As long as skeptical school officials and lawmakers push back against the science, the pandemic will never end in Oregon.
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