More Than Expected; Less Than Hoped For

S.C. Co. Health Officer's response.

A few of you expressed doubt that I would hear back from my county health officer in response to my letter requesting an explanation of the rationale for her mask mandate order for Fall and Winter 2024-2025. I shared your skepticism. After more than a month went by since my letter was sent and no response was received I assumed I would not hear back. I had put enough thought into contacting her though that I wasn’t ready to just be blown off without any return communication. Since she is a representative of the people she should be responsive to us. We have a right to question her. She has an obligation to listen and to come back with a thoughtful answer. We assumed she wouldn’t get back. We were mostly right.

Mostly right?

Yes.

Yesterday I did get an e-mail from her office. But to call it a response to what I had written would be generous. It was a terse few lines of pablum that offered no explanation and ignored all my questions and concerns. Unsurprisingly she seems to be shooing me away with contempt. Not just me though. All my colleagues who labor under this farce are recipients of that same contempt. Many of you have voiced your concerns to me that resonate with mine. We deserve better from our public servants.

Unfortunately they fancy themselves “Leaders” and have forgotten the servant part.

We labored through the plandemic serving our community. We endured the ponderous heap of additional restrictions and absurdities that were plucked from thin air and to which we had to adhere. Every aspect of work in the hospital was far more time consuming and laborious. There was an expectation of us that we must be cruel to people who were vulnerable and scared. Because the policies were cruel. So many of us protested and voiced opposition to policies that didn’t sit right with us. Now every day more comes out that shows we were right.

The e-mail I received reads like this:

“Dear Mr. Hudson,

Masks are a proven method of source control, reduce disease transmission, and protect the most vulnerable, including those who are immunocompromised. This is supported by research that can be found on CDPH and CDC websites. Similar orders exist across Bay Area jurisdictions.”

That was it. She may as well have written, “Blah blah blah. Blahblah”, for that goes just as far toward addressing the concerns I voiced and which so many others share. That is my first point of objection. Once again she offers no validation that demonstrates that a significant benefit can be expected through adherence to her edict. Just unsupported blanket statements.

Then she offers a bit of homework, directing me to the CDPH and CDC. As if I haven’t already been there and seen what they have to say. Clearly she hasn’t gotten the memo that those captured agencies haven’t offered valuable, honest information for a long time. She seems unaware that those councils of stooges are about to be gutted. A house cleaning is coming. I hope and pray the bullshit we’ve been wading through to above our waists is about to get a lot shallower.

She reveals her hand as a political creature when she says, “Similar orders exist across Bay Area jurisdictions”. These orders, like hers are more political than health centered. When you look at the voter demographics of the Bay Area Counties it will come as no surprise that they also feel safe in abusing their workforce. I wonder if she let her curiosity venture outside the cozy confines of the bluest part of the state? I think I can guess.

We’re nearing Mid-December and in our hospital we have seen very little… and I mean scant few cases of any of the respiratory viruses we are supposed to be preventing with the mask theater. Who thinks a mask can prevent spread of a virus that is absent?

I’m eager to see if these local mini-tyrants get set straight once the anticipated renaissance occurs and we can move forward. For now I’m hanging on that hope.

Peace dear Readers.