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At this stage, I think a statewide mask mandate would do little, bc as a practical matter it's become politicized. If issued today (which I support) the practical effect would be minimal bc of enforcement. Those willing to don masks are already doing so. I have another idea...
The governor needs to come out in *strong* support of school districts that have gone virtual. School boards are being inundated with angry parents for doing exactly the right thing. This will send a serious signal to mask up, social distance, and get this thing under control.
The reality is that people just aren't taking this seriously, bc the danger is hard to process. People say, "I'm young and willing to take the risks to live a happy life" but you don't see the impact on spreading to others several degrees away. This is a classic externality.
The result is that large groups of people continue to congregate and spread the disease without really knowing that they've even done so. You can have asymptomatic spreaders who infect multiple groups and never even realize it.
Supporting local school districts sends a powerful message that the disease is dangerous and that individuals need to take better care to slow the spread. When it's slowed, we can ease back into school according to objective data-driven benchmarks.
