You Can’t Be Afraid to Speak Your Truth

New coronavirus cases surged in most counties in New York State last week, putting them in the “High Risk” category. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for that category recommend indoor masking (including for schools), yet the state refrained from imposing an indoor mask mandate—and made the announcement on Friday afternoon, when it was most likely to be overlooked.

According to The New York Times, New York health officials did urge residents living in counties in “Medium Risk” and  “High Risk” counties to wear masks in indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status. Also, as of Thursday, the seven-day average of daily deaths stood at 20, up from 15 two weeks ago, according to the Times database. A 33% fatality increase in two weeks could be a sign that despite the relatively low percentage of fatal infections during the present surge, the huge increase in total numbers of infections means fatalities are bound to rise.

Like a gambler on a run of luck at a casino, we were seeing good results, but eventually statistical probabilities will bring the good times to an end.

What’s interesting is that with the pandemic, unlike a gambler, we can manufacture our own luck to some extent. We’ve had a couple years to learn that somethings help put a brake on surging coronavirus cases. The CDC has told us what will help reduce surging cases (masks, less indoor crowding, better ventilation to name a few) and the added deaths that come in their wake. Health officials have access to this information—I’m not getting any sort of top secret briefing to know this stuff.

Yet here we are, seeing another surge, yet health officials seem to be afraid to get in front of the cameras and speak to the people. They can see what’s coming. They know what should be done. Yet in many places, it’s an election year, and it looks a lot like rather than do something unpopular, like telling people loud and clear and unequivocally that mitigation procedures need to be observed, people are opting to let people enjoy the false sense of security cultivated by a lack of response and a lack of urgency from community leadership.

Real leaders sometimes must risk doing things that may be unpopular, but certainly are necessary.