Masks are a responsibility, not a political issue

I owe an apology to all of our readers.

We ran a story Friday about Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean questioning the reasons for Gov. Steve Bullock issuing a directive telling people to wear masks and questioning its legality.

Some people have complained that we ran the story at all.

McLean’s comments were news and our job is to report the news. When one of the top elected officials in the county questions a governor directive, it is news.

But I forgot to make sure the comments were placed in context. 

Other stories on the page reported the surge in COVID-19 cases in the area, and about public officials saying wearing masks is crucial with the surge and with the influx of people in the area during summer traveling.

But every story needs to be complete in itself, and I forgot to make sure that happened.

McLean made her comments about masks and restrictions at Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation as COVID-19 confirmations surge in the state, including in Hill, Blaine and Chouteau counties.

Rocky Boy’s Health Center has confirmed 28 cases, some in Hill and some in Chouteau counties. Hill County has a total of 34 confirmed cases.

People in Montana are contracting the illness — the state reported 97 new cases today, for a total in Montana of 2,712.

And people in Montana are dying. Montana reported another COVID-19 death today.

And elected officials and health officials around the country — including Montana — are urging people to wear masks.

It’s simple. Novel coronavirus 2019 primarily spreads through moisture spread when people cough, sneeze, sing, talk or even breathe.

Wearing a mask keeps the moisture from spreading as much. That keeps the virus from spreading as much.

That’s why people should wear a mask.

People may not like wearing a mask, or being told to wear a mask.

People who end up on a respirator in the hospital, and possibly dying, and their families dislike that a lot more.

Some opponents to masks claim the disease mainly affects the elderly, so all we need to do is protect the elderly.

Of course, if the disease spreads widely, more and more elderly will be exposed, no matter what.

And it is not just the elderly.

Of the three new cases in Hill County Monday, one was a boy younger than 10. The ages are listed in a range — 0-9 — so it could be an infant younger than 1 year old.

Another case was a woman in her 30s.

But, opponents argue, only the elderly are at serious risk.

They might tell that to the widow and 1-year-old son of Broadway actor Nick Cordero, 41, who died after battling COVID-19 for 95 days.

And while children seem to be at less risk of contracting serious illness — and even acquiring the virus, although that is still being studied — children are acquiring it and dying.

People seem to think that they have a right to refuse to wear a mask, they have liberties guaranteed by the Constitution.

Here is a basic civics lessons. People’s rights only extend until they infringe on someone else’s. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution may guarantee that people’s right to bear arms will not be infringed, but it does not guarantee the right to go out shooting people.

People may think they have a right to risk exposure to novel coronavirus 2019, but they do not have a right to expose others.

If they infect someone and someone becomes seriously ill, or dies, they might try to explain their right to not wear a mask to the survivors.