A small town dragged its feet on COVID-19 mask mandates. Now residents are paying the price.

[TexasTowelie]

DODGE CITY, Kan. — In the midst of a worsening pandemic, as coronavirus cases climbed, elected leaders in a former frontier town famous for its gunfights faced a choice.

They could pass a mask mandate at the urging of health experts, or reject the measure blasted by some as a violation of their personal freedoms.

The five commissioners of Dodge City, Kansas, a politically red cattle community of some 27,000 people, had resisted such measures all summer and into fall. Like other parts of rural and small-city America, Dodge City had mostly returned to normal after shaking off the pandemic’s first wave.

But then a second wave hit Dodge City. People started getting sick again.

By the time commissioners passed the mask mandate on Nov. 16, more than 1 out of every 10 county residents had contracted the virus. At least a dozen of them had died.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/12/11/small-town-dragged-its-feet-mask-mandates-thousands-got-sick/6481416002/

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. Ah, yes.

Two or three months ago there were articles about how Kansas was a wonderful example of how masks worked. The counties that masked had far fewer cases than those that didn't. How bizarre is that?

Me, I'm fucking sick and tired of people refusing to mask and then being surprised when they get sick. I wish they'd likewise be surprised to be refused medical care because of their ignorant carelessness.

[demosincebirth]

2. Best thing - get out of Dodge

[SunSeeker]

3. And Trump is not going to send them Regeneron doses like he gave Rudy.

They are on their own like the rest of us.

[torius]

4. Maybe instead of just signs

saying to wear a mask, they could add to add some health info, gruesome statistics, and photos of intubated patients or of a ventilator. People may lose their appetites for food. But if they start to wear masks, the place can take away the materials. In China, the highway is dotted with billboards of gory car accidents to encourage people to drive safely.

[KS Toronado]

5. Did not know that about China, we should do the same.

Repugs would probably be against such billboards because of one of their freedumbs.

[Worried2020]

6. Well - China sure handled this better than us North Americans,

.
.

and many Europeans . . .

Australia and New Zealand handled it better also.

Oh yeah - "Well, they are islands" - frigadee - North America is too - pretty much

We just plain fucked up

(sigh)

W

[Rebl2]

7. Big surprise

What is that saying. What’s the matter with KS. and will add MO to that too. Our governor (MO) refuses to have a mask mandate, but at least he leaves it up to the cities if they want to do that. The idiot republicans in our state house are thinking about changing that though next year.