Editorial Roundup: South Dakota

Yankton Press and Dakotan. February 9, 2021.

Editorial: Mask Measures And The Bigger Question

Technically, the Yankton City Commission spent time Monday night discussing the merits of extending its mask mandate during a first reading of an ordinance to do just that.

But in a broader sense, the discussion delved into a topic that every state, every municipality and county, every school district, every business and every individual will face sooner or later: When is it time to ease up on the COVID-19 rules and regulations that have, to varying degrees, guided our pandemic lives the past 11 months?

Monday’s discussion was a reflection of the moment.

The current mask mandate, which was enacted in December, is scheduled to expire at the end of this month, and some commissioners want to extend it potentially to the end of May. However, with COVID numbers currently declining and vaccine dissemination (very slowly) gathering steam, at least a couple commissioners said it may be time to end the mandate and let personal responsibility again be the driving force. (However, since the current mandate has no penalty, personal choice is still the biggest driver of mask implementation.)

This leads to a few questions.

If a mask mandate is contributing to the recent slide in cases, is it wise to let that defensive measure lapse?

If neighboring states like Nebraska and Iowa are loosening their restrictions, is it reasonable to follow suit?

When will we really know if the coast is clear?

In truth, that last one may be the biggest of all, and there is no easy answer.

We saw what happened last spring when the U.S. government decided it was OK to open things up even though the coronavirus was not yet under control. Cases and deaths surged, and the virus roared out of control.

We’ve seen what’s happened when places in New York and California tried to emerge from their lockdowns and other restrictions. Numbers climbed back up and restrictions have never completely gone away.

We don’t know yet what will happen with the COVID variants that are growing rapidly and seem to be somewhat more formidable foes for the current coronavirus vaccines. This will be the next wave of worry, with the so-called UK variant, B.1.1.7, expected to become the dominant strain in this country by the end of next month.

And we still don’t completely understand the current, original coronavirus and whether exposure to it creates permanent immunity or a fleeting wall of defense.

So, deciding whether to lift restrictions and lower defenses is a risky exercise. To date, evidence suggests that the restrictions will likely return because of potential surges down the road. Thus, perhaps not lifting those safety measures will help blunt the impact of what may come.

However, officials also know how frustrating these restrictions have been for everyone. For instance, it would be great if Yankton could do away with a mask mandate because it isn’t needed. But the need - either now or next month or this summer - is the unanswerable question, an elusive unknown that clouds our forward view.

Monday’s discussion was likely a precursor of discussions to come - probably more than once - in the days ahead. We don’t have all the answers, and we keep collecting more question. Any answers we settle on now are far from definite.

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