Yesterday we were sent some pictures of Lagoon Park in Utah by a friend, always excited to get pictures of parks, especially during this time when so few of them are open. Sadly, what I saw in these pictures made me upset more than anything, and I'll try and explain why. Whether you choose to believe it or not, we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Whether you refuse to believe it or not, the numbers from that pandemic are going up, while we are opening more and more things. Whether you want to believe it or not, wearing a face covering and social distancing from others as much as possible DOES help. Now, I will say, we've been getting conflicting information from the WHO and CDC since this began, with disastrous results. Not because they aren't doing their jobs, but people (as a whole) don't really understand how science, and testing of a new disease works. See, we are still learning about the virus. So at first we over-prepare and over-compensate. And then as we learn more information about that virus, that information gets released. That means that what was said in March doesn't necessarily apply in June. And what is said now won't necessarily apply in October. And now, RIGHT NOW, the experts are saying that wearing a face covering and social distancing are the way to go. So if you want things to open up, and we ALL do, then the VERY LEAST we can do is to wear a face covering and try to social distance as much as possible. So we'll start this off with a graphic of current COVID-19 cases in Utah. Not pretty, right? And I'm not trying to pick on Utah here because the numbers are going up everywhere, but ouch. And here are the pictures from Lagoon Park. Yesterday. June 10th. Two Days after they saw their highest number of cases. Ever. You can click the images, and try and find the people wearing face coverings. I noticed 2. In all of the pictures. Folks, this is not the way. If you want things to open, this is not the way. If you want to get back to what some may call a "normal" life, this is not the way. If you really do care about "all lives", this is not the way. And of course, with the numbers going up some are already blaming this on protests. Look at the pictures from those protests. You probably have 95% of people wearing face coverings. In the same summer heat as Lagoon Park, and sometimes much hotter. If people who are protesting for something as important as Black Lives Matter, and are able to wear a face covering, the VERY LEAST you can do is wear one on a roller coaster. Do I like wearing a face coverings? Hardly. I have asthma. It's not the easiest thing in the world. But I even take one with me when I run. Because I'm trying to be courteous to my fellow humans. And that's all anybody is really asking for. So when these parks and other places do start to open, and face coverings are required, don't yell at the front line employees or cast members. They aren't the ones making these decisions. The decisions are being made at the very highest levels in an attempt to keep everybody safe. And please, smaller parks, take a look at your policies regarding face coverings. And maybe start requiring them. Because, as I've said all along, an outbreak traced back to one theme park, is bad for all theme parks. Are face coverings 100% effective, do they know 100% of the science behind it? No way. And if the experts say something different about face coverings in a few months, we'll try that too. But the least we can do is try to do the right thing in these uncertain times. - Gregg Condon: Editor in Chief June 13th Update. Lagoon Park has updated their park policy regarding masks and now require them in queue lines. You can read those details at the link below. http://www.lagoonpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Covid-6_15_20-1.pdf Related Videos:
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7 Comments
AGREE with you 100%, Gregg.
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Meg
6/11/2020 08:19:39 pm
Not a single study has been shared proving masks work, it just states it "may" work. I "may" get into a car accident, perhaps I shouldn't drive? The "numbers" are increasing because there is more testing. The percentages are staying the same. If you want to be submissive, have at it, but don't expect others to follow. We live here for our freedoms and we are free to breathe the fresh air. Immune compromised? Stay home or protect yourself. It isn't the rest of the country's responsibility to uproot their live for yours.
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Willful ignorance is not exactly a sought-after attribute, Meg. And your example of a car accident is a false equivalence. Car accidents aren't contagious. Having your 'freedoms' doesn't mean you have the right to encroach upon and trample over the rights of others.
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oh, and as far as mask vs no mask:
Here's a study: https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/06/10/2009637117
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Dexter Francis
6/14/2020 06:58:17 am
Meg - Last December, essentially no one in Utah had any natural immunity to Covid-19. As of yesterday there were 13,577 confirmed cases with 7,935 recoveries and 139 deaths. There are 2,763,885 people living here and 262,782 have been tested. The chart at coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts/ clearly those that the rate of testing has recently been in decline and the ratio of active to recovered is rising, which means that people are getting infected faster than they are recovering. You may not be infected now, so wearing a simple cloth mask won’t keep you from catching it, but once you do catch it and don’t wear a mask, you’ll be putting others at risk. Not wearing one is simply telling everyone that you don’t care.
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