A mask rebellion is underway in some parts of the state, with residents pushing back on mandatory face-covering rules even with coronavirus cases on the rise and as more businesses open their doors and some people yearn to return to old routines. The potency of mask politics became clear this week in Orange County, where the health officer resigned after weeks of attacks — and a death threat — over her mandatory mask rules. Her replacement on Thursday rescinded the rules amid intense pressure from the Board of Supervisors.
This might make some sense if Orange County were showing a solid decline in COVID-19 cases. Let’s check in and find out:
Reports of new COVID-19 cases are not going down. They have not even plateaued. They are going up, up, up. Nonetheless, my fellow OC residents are revolting against the single easiest and most effective way of reining in the spread of the virus. I live among idiots.
