THOUGHT FOR THE DAY – 19 JULY 2020 “Yield to temptation. It may not pass your way again.” Robert A. Heinlein KABLER — CORONA-12JulyY2K20 CHARLESTON GAZETTE 12 JULY 2020 Statehouse Beat: West Virginia needs to wake up to pandemic's threat By Phil Kabler Staff writer, Charleston Gazette, Jul 11, 2020
Leave it to West Virginia to turn a pandemic into a pandumbic.
With its isolated location, lack of major metropolitan areas and nonexistent international travel, West Virginia had every advantage to ride through the pandemic relatively unscathed but blew it all in recent days by flouting the basics of controlling the spread of COVID-19, particularly through social distancing and wearing facemasks.
After pleading for weeks for residents to voluntarily wear face coverings, Gov. Jim Justice on Monday ordered masks worn in public indoor settings and spent the remainder of the week pleading with people to actually follow the executive order.
As noted here, West Virginians have been hardheaded before when it came to public health issues, such as mandatory seatbelts and indoor smoking bans.
While there might have been some partisanship in both issues, it was nothing like the blatant partisan politics of today’s anti-maskers.