Opinion
4A
Thursday, May 14, 2020
The Observer
OUR VIEW
Keep practicing
social distancing
A
ll but three counties in Oregon
submitted plans to the state for a
phased reopening, and we hope
soon Union and Wallowa counties will
be able to see the light at the end of the
COVID-19 tunnel.
Union County’s total number of confirmed
cases stands at four as of Wednesday, and
the Oregon Health Authority counts three
as recovered. Wallowa County has one case,
also recovered. The governor’s office wants
counties and businesses to meet certain cri-
teria before reopening, such as a decrease in
COVID-19 hospitalizations, which has not
been much of an issue out here.
Even with standards to meet, the decision
as to when we can reopen rests firmly in our
own hands.
We need to adhere to social distancing mea-
sures — proven to be effective throughout
the nation. Neighboring Umaitlla County,
for example, has more than 80 cases of the
coronavirus and at least two dead. While
more testing there can account for some of
the spike, the single overriding factor in the
rise, according to the health department, is
instances where residents are spreading the
sickness at social gatherings.
Union and Wallowa counties can’t afford to
ignore the lessons just some ways down the
road.
In a way, we would like curtailing the
spread of virus to be more complicated than
just a willingness to follow a few simple
guidelines. But it isn’t. Health officials from
the federal level on down have repeatedly
stated the steps — easy to follow — to stop
the spread. When we fail to do that, we create
an environment for the virus to flourish, even
in the rural parts of Oregon.
The COVID-19 virus has killed over
80,000 in the U.S. and more than 287,000
globally. It is highly contagious. It isn’t “just
like the flu.” It is more dangerous than the
flu. Because it is so highly contagious, we
all must subscribe to the methods that health
officials outlined to stop the virus from
spreading.
None of the social distancing rules or the
shutdown of the state itself has been easy.
Yes, statewide we’ve seemed to cut the spread
of the contagion. On the other side of the
coin, however, thousands are out of work and
the small business community is suffering
terribly. There is an understandable urge to
get things going again. We get that.
But rather than rushing to reopen, we need
to take careful steps.
So, practice social distancing. Wear a
mask. Let’s all work together to get past this
as fast as possible.
OTHER VIEW
Using a mask to mask your feelings
have been trying to do my civic
faces, bandanas and handkerchiefs
duty. I stay more than 6 feet away attached by rubber bands and home-
made quilted pieces of folk art and
from most people. I live alone,
things that looked like turtlenecks
so my trips to the store are surgical
on steroids.
strikes. I have
Stories about
social distanced
CHRISTINE
reading groups
from vulnerable
FLOWERS
that had turned
friends and rel-
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
atives, mastered
into sewing
the art of Zoom
circles made
and Facetime, and learned to make
the rounds. Social media ran ads for
my own damn coffee.
stylish masks made out of “breath-
able” fabric (which led me to believe
But I draw the line at the masks.
that being able to actually breathe
At least, I used to. Slowly, though,
cost a bit more, but that you could get
I am beginning to capitulate like
a non-permeable mask made out of
a Frenchman during the Nazi
lead for cut-rate prices).
occupation.
And then I started hearing that
It’s not like I didn’t initially try
it was my obligation to wear one of
and cooperate with the “suggestion”
these monstrosities because I could
that we wear masks. That was when
health experts said that wearing a face be Patient Zero, Typhoid Christine,
and that I owed it to my neighbor with
covering would protect us from con-
tracting the coronavirus, which we’ve whom I’ve shared less than five words
always known is highly communi-
in our entire relationship to keep her
cable. I started seeing some folks with safe from my hypothetical germs.
those Darth Vadar style face cover-
That’s when I rebelled. The idea
ings, and purchased one. I tried it on,
that I was a petri dish waiting to
gasped for air, and that was the end of infect the world grated on my nerves,
that thing.
and I started walking around in public
Afterwards, when the health
with my naked face (of course it
experts told us to leave the profes-
wasn’t entirely naked because I will
sional grade masks to the health care
not go out without makeup). I made
workers, I felt vindicated. Virtuous
sure to stay away from other people,
is the better word. I said to myself,
walked to the other side of the street
“Don’t wear that mask, Christine, you if I saw another person approaching
need to leave it for the courageous
on the sidewalk, kept a mask in my
first responders in hospitals.” I could
hand as a prop as if to say, “I just took
feel the halo forming over my head.
this off to breathe for a moment but I
But then, I saw other sorts of
usually shower with the damn thing,”
masks emerging on my neighbors’
and always wore a mask in closed
I
environments.
I even wore a mask on public
transportation, which actually made
the experience more enjoyable since it
filtered out the usual sweat-and-con-
trolled substance aroma that usually
permeates the cars.
But I pushed back against wearing
the mask as a default position. Until,
that is, I started getting “the look”
from little children. Apparently, par-
anoid adults have been indoctrinating
their tiny tots into believing that
people who don’t wear masks outside,
everywhere and at every moment,
are dangerous. They are up there
with child molesters and anti-vaxxers
(and in the Philadelphia area, Trump
supporters).
The look in those little kids’ eyes
was an epiphany for me. I do not like
being hated, even though I could
solve that problem by just pretending
I’m a liberal columnist and be done
with it. But I would rather eat a bat
from Wuhan before I did that, so I
have come to the sad conclusion that
— for the sake of the children, mind
you — I will wear a mask whenever I
am not in my house.
Unless I decide to join that small,
hardy band of French-speaking resis-
tance fighters in the Delaware Valley
and we manage to overthrow the
Vichy regime in Harrisburg.
About the Author
Christine Flowers is an attorney
and a columnist for the Delaware
County Daily Times and can be
reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Donald Trump: The
White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.,
Washington, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1414;
fax 202-456-2461; to send comments,
go to www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. of-
fice: 313 Hart Senate Office Building,
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510;
202-224-3753; fax 202-228-3997. Port-
land office: One World Trade Center,
121 S.W. Salmon St. Suite 1250,
Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-3386; fax
503-326-2900. Pendleton office: 310
S.E. Second St. Suite 105, Pendleton
97801; 541-278-1129; merkley.senate.
gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-
5244; fax 202-228-2717. La Grande
office: 105 Fir St., No. 210, La Grande,
OR 97850; 541-962-7691; fax, 541-963-
0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (2nd Dis-
trict): D.C. office: 2182 Rayburn Office
Building, Washington, D.C., 20515,
202-225-6730; fax 202-225-5774. La
Grande office: 1211 Washington Ave.,
La Grande, OR 97850; 541-624-2400,
fax, 541-624-2402; walden.house.gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254
State Capitol, Salem, OR 97310; 503-
378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias
Read: oregon.treasurer@ost.state.
or.us; 350 Winter St. NE, Suite 100,
Salem OR 97301-3896; 503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen
F. Rosenblum: Justice Building, Sa-
lem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
State Sen. William S. Hansell
(29th District/Pendleton): Salem
office: 900 Court St. NE., S-423,
Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1729.
Website: www.oregonlegislature.
gov/ hansell. Email: sen.billhansell@
oregonlegislature. gov.
State Rep. Greg Barreto (58th
District/ Cove): Salem office: 900
Court St. NE., H-384, Salem, OR
97301; 503-986-1458. Website: www.
oregonlegislature.gov/barreto. Email:
rep.gregbarreto@oregonlegislature.
gov.
State Rep. Greg Smith (57th
District): Salem office: 900 Court
St. NE., H-482, Salem, OR, 97301;
503-986-1457. Heppner office: P.O. Box
219, Heppner, OR 97836; 541-676-
5154; Website: www.oregonlegisla-
ture.gov/smithg. Email: rep.greg-
smith@oregonlegislature.gov.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative
documents and information are avail-
able online at www.leg.state.or.us.
City of La Grande: Mayor Steve
Clements, City Manager Robert
Strope; P.O. Box 670, La Grande, OR
97850; 541-962-1309; fax 541-963-
3333.
Union County Commissioners:
Donna Beverage, Matt Scarfo and
Paul Anderes; 1106 K Ave., La Grande,
OR 97850; 541-963-1001; fax 541-963-
1079.
Wallowa County Commission-
ers: John Hillock,Todd Nash and Susan
Roberts; 101 S. River St., Room 202,
Enterprise, OR 97828; 541-426-4543,
ext. 11; fax 541-426-0582.
Elgin City Councilors: Mayor Al-
lan Duffy, 501 N 11th St., 541-437-1016,
mayor@cityofelginor.org; Mary West,
260 N 5th Ave., 541-805-0443, council-
or3@cityofelginor.org; Kathy Warren,
PO Box 697, 541-786-9611, councilor6@
cityofelginor.org; Risa Hallgarth, PO
Box 525, 541-437-9462, councilor2@
cityofelginor.org; Rocky Burgess, 800
N 14th St., P.O. Box 854, 541-786-2417,
councilor1@cityofelginor.org; David
Reed, 1011 Detroit St., PO Box 368; 541-
975-3306, councilor4@cityofelginor.org;
Ryan Martin, councilor5@cityofelginor.
org.
La Grande City Council: Mayor
Steve Clements, Gary Lillard, Nicole
Howard, Corrine Dutto, Mary Ann
Miesner, Jim Whitbeck, Justin Rock;
through the city manager’s office, 541-
962-1309.
City of Cove: Mayor Del Little,
503-508-6727, 504 Alder St., P.O. Box 8,
Cove, OR 97824; City Recorder Donna
Lewis, 541-568-4566.