The other day I went to visit my optometrist. I was unpleasantly surprised when I learned that there were still mask requirements. A few days later I needed to take my puppy to our veterinarian. Guess what? No mask requirements — like 99% of other public-traveled spaces. At both appointments I talked with a receptionist, filled out some paper work and sat in the waiting room with others. Then I went into an exam room with a technician and the doctor. In other words there was no difference in my interaction with people between the two offices.
Why would one place require masks and the other not? Does COVID only lurk inside doctor’s offices, hospitals or optometrist’s offices, but not inside grocery stores and work out facilities? Why are veterinarian offices safe, COVID-free zones but optometrists’ offices not? What kind of science drives these decisions?
The answer is simple: science is not the primary driver. Most healthcare facilities in Oregon are regulated by the Oregon Health Authority. OHA still maintains that masks and COVID vaccines prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Even if that were true and even if the intent were to keep healthcare professionals safe, why are those same healthcare professionals mask-free when they visit their grocery store, work out facility or veterinarian office?
On August 11th the CDC walked back many of their COVID protocols. Almost a month ago. From vaccination status to masking to testing, the CDC has dramatically changed their recommendations. The question is why hasn’t OHA? What is the delay? Why is Oregon’s healthcare system still living under an emergency lockdown world of 2020, instead of a significantly down-rated COVID world of 2022?
These are good questions. The problem is when a state agency thinks they know what’s best for you, but are entirely unaccountable to you. At that point their primary concern has become self-interest, not public interest. We need state agencies that work for us — not for themselves. Whether it has been the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Employment Department, DMV or the Department of Education, during the past several years Oregon’s state agencies have, for the most part, been slow in responding to the real needs and concerns of Oregonians.
Previously, most of my COVID questions to OHA have been answered with “Well, the CDC says,…” until now. Apparently now it seems it does not matter what the CDC says; it only matters what OHA says — and that, I contend, has been the real truth all along.
Our nation was built on the idea of individual liberty and personal responsibility. If you are sick, stay home and get better, or contact your doctor. If you have a health condition, take the necessary steps to lower your risk. As a nation we have survived nearly 250 years with this philosophy — until The Great COVID Panic. It is time to return to what has worked in the past in order to maintain our health and our liberty. OHA needs to end their COVID era rules and let healthcare centers and hospitals decide for themselves what is best for the health of their staff and patients. We do not need OHA’s dogmatic, one-size-fits-all rules or nanny-like oversight to be healthy.
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