HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0986.230 2018-2020 From: Annalia Russell
Sent: Sunday, July 05, 2020 9:00 PM
To: Council Testimony COUNTY CLERK
Subject: Support Resolution 678-20 COUNTY OF HAWAI'I
• RECEIVED
Time 1:O09 By
Aloha Planning Committee, Pate JUL 0 5 2020
I am writing to urge you to do your part to make sure that mask-wearing is voluntary, not mandatory in our communities.
Many jurisdictions are basing their face mask policies on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The
CDC has flip-flopped its position on face coverings several times since March but is now recommending that everyone wear a mask in
public.This recommendation is not supported by strong empirical evidence.Though there is science to support mask-wearing,
there's also a preponderance of science showing that masks can cause considerable harm and are ineffective in preventing the
spread of coronavirus.There is also no science supporting the use of masks by healthy individuals. So emergency orders that are
being issued to help protect public health are actually hurting individuals' physical and emotional well being— and violating their
basic human rights,constitutional rights and religious rights.
Evidence that masks reduce the transmission of viral respiratory infections within community settings is equivocal at best.A recent
meta-analysis (bit.ly/2VHaubd)that included nearly a dozen randomized, controlled trials and 10 observational studies found that
there was no clear clinical or laboratory-confirmed evidence that masks prevent infection. Even the U.S. Surgeon General has noted
that masks "are not effective in preventing the general public from catching the coronavirus." (bit.ly/31Dgdm5)
In terms of harm, studies show that wearing a face covering reduces blood and tissue oxygenation—which can be deadly— while
increasing carbon dioxide levels.The use of masks can also increase the risk of infection and the spread of viral illness (particularly
cloth masks), hinder detoxification that occurs through exhalation, impair the immune system,and cause a wide range other physical
and psychological issues. (bit.ly/31Epv1e). Moreover,some masks have been found to contain known carcinogens,which put people
at risk from inhaling toxic chemicals and having them come into contact with their skin.
There is no science to support the use of masks by healthy individuals,and the World Health Organization backed this up when it
said, "WHO stands by recommendations to not wear masks if you are not sick or caring for someone who is sick." Forcing healthy
individuals to wear face coverings is a completely unnecessary intervention that dehumanizes their interactions with others. More
important, it eliminates their right to make informed decisions about what risks and precautions they are willing to take.
It is unethical and unconstitutional to subject healthy, law-abiding citizens to measures that can result in physical and emotional
harm and that impinge on their ability to move freely throughout society. For those with deeply held religious beliefs, mask
mandates violate their ability to abide by natural law and follow their convictions to walk in faith, not fear.As such,the decision to
wear a mask is a highly personal one and should not be universally mandated; measures that are meant to protect the community as
a whole are not effective if they hurt individuals in that community.
Mandatory medicine and mandated interventions such as social distancing and mask-wearing have no place in a free society; citizens
want to maintain the right to make responsible decisions about what is best for themselves and their children based on their own
unique circumstances. I urge you to do the right thing,stand for choice and protect all individuals by encouraging— not mandating
—the use of face masks in the community.This policy can be bolstered by asking at-risk populations and those who are sick to self-
quarantine,with society taking the best care of them possible.
Thank you for your continued leadership during these unprecedented times and for upholding the health and the rights of your
constituents.
Comm. No. ci0e'a
Ref. To: P1 VC.
1 Ref. Date7.311i 0 7 207 '