I would like to tell the Department of Health that I do not support mandated masks for several reasons.

The government has always said that they would follow “science and data”. Here is what has been admitted regarding science and data. In VA, they have admitted that COVID cases are often double and triple counted. There have been reports that death numbers have been grossly inflated due to counting of deaths as probable cases. If you die while having COVID, then you are counted as a COVID death, even if you died with a heart attack! There is no science and data that we can believe!

COVID has been around for months-at least as far back as Jan. If masks are so effective, why weren’t they mandated then? Why now, when we are almost 6 months into this, that masks all of a sudden are going to solve the problem of spreading the disease? There is no scientific evidence that masks help. To have a true scientific experiment, there has to be a control group and there isn’t. People feel like they are more protected with a mask on, but we have no proof of it. The seasonal flu has similar death rates and we all don’t walk around with masks during the flu season. Plus we also know more about this disease than we did in January. We have medications like that help. Doctors know more about what to do.

The media keeps screaming about the number of cases going up. We all knew this was going to happen! Whenever we open up, cases are going to go up. At some point, masks are going to have to come off and guess what, numbers will go up then! What the media doesn’t tell you is that case numbers don’t tell the whole story. A HUGE number of cases are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Case numbers going up mean that we are developing herd immunity, which has to happen because this virus is going to be with us for a long time. Even if we get a vaccine. We all know that vaccines do not always work! Death rates are less than .02%. Does this justify locking down a society? De-humanizing a population? Do we have controlled scientific studies on the effect on organs due to prolonged levels of decreased oxygen due to wearing masks for 8+ hours at a time? Do we have controlled scientific studies of what happens to childrens’ brain development with prolonged decreased oxygen levels caused by having to wear masks at school for 8+ hours a day? We do not. Are you willing to take that risk? Last year keeping a child in a mask all day would have been considered almost child abuse. Now it is a sign of virtue with no proof that it actually works. Scientific data says that the human body requires oxygen-not to keep rebreathing carbon dioxide which is what happens with a mask.

The governor has taken the role as tyrant-forcing the ideas of one person on millions of people. He has destroyed countless businesses due to his extreme lockdown. He gives us no set of standards as to when measures are going to be lifted. VA numbers are low-just how low do they have to get before he lifts restrictions? Now he is trying to mandate masks for the state for 6 months despite what the numbers say. Please be the voice of reason and say NO to mandated masks.