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Commentary by Jeff Levine, Editor-at-Large

BROWARD COUNTY CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Back in May, I was thrilled to finally take a stroll along the new Pompano Beach Pier the first week it opened. After staring at it for many, many months, it was nice to walk it. It’s very impressive and should help make the Pompano Beach Fishing Village complex a local hot spot. (I use hot spot in the traditional way- meaning people will like it, as opposed to the new more deadly Coronavirus definition.)

When the city opened up the Pier on May 18th, they set rules requiring social distancing and facial covering. To insure this, they have staff check to make sure you’re wearing a mask upon entering.

However, I was amazed to see almost half the crowd decided it was okay to take off the masks once they passed the check point. And this, my friends, is why we can’t have nice things.

Bringing a mask to the pier and then taking it off once you get there is like leaving the condom on the night stand. Completely pointless.

Even worse, once the Broward County coronavirus rules were relaxed and masks were no longer mandatory, although still required if social distancing was not practical, mask wearing dropped to almost zero, even when people were standing within six feet of one another.

More recently we’ve seen a lack of social distancing at area beaches on Father’s Day, restaurants not following proper guidelines and many people complaining of mask wearing as if it violated the Bill of Rights.

Yesterday, Miami-Dade announced it is closing restaurants and gyms, and Broward may be next, as Coronavirus cases and  hospitalizations surge in South Florida. Want to know who is to largely blame for this? Take a look in the mirror. If the face you see is not wearing a mask, then you are part of the reason for the close downs.

I am amazed at the number of people who think it is too inconvenient to wear a mask. I find wearing pants inconvenient and yet I still put them on whenever I go out of the house (inside is a different story, much to my wife’s chagrin).

I don’t understand people saying wearing a mask violates their rights. You are required to wear shoes when you go places. I don’t hear a lot of complaints from anti-shoe vigilantes.

We live in a country where we constantly balance individual rights with the rights of the greater society. You can’t drive drunk. You have to stop at stop signs. You’re not allowed to slip poison into someone’s drink. Oh my lord, the tyranny of it all.

If you think you are proving a point by not wearing a mask, I’m not sure what the point is. Are you afraid it will make you seem like a wimp? Remember John Wayne? The definition of American rugged individualism regularly wore a facial covering. Not to mention Spiderman and the Ninja Turtles.

We all want our economy going again. We need to do it safely. Wearing a mask, along with social distancing and washing your hands regularly, are the best ways to keep people safe enough for society to return to normal. Not wearing a mask is only fake going back to normal. It has increased the spread of the coronavirus and a with it, the likelihood of a bigger economic collapse.

Think of it like the vegetables your mom made you eat when you were young. You turned out okay.

As kids, we used to say “It’s a free country” whenever we didn’t want to do something. But then we got older and learned being a responsible member of society meant sometimes having to do things for the greater good. So, if you really want to be a patriot, wear the damn mask and observe social distancing. Our nation’s health and economic rebound depend on it.

For Broward County Coronavirus updates and specific info for Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Lighthouse Point and Lauderdale-by-the Sea  search our website.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”10417″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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This post was prepared by staff at Point! Publishing. For inquiries call 954-603-4553.

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