Letter to the Editor: Mask-wearing Should Extend to Officers

On June 4, at the rally in Sturgeon Bay, none of the officers wore protective masks. This is most unfortunate as this made them the only irresponsible ones at the rally. It is the recommendation of the CDC for all of us to protect each other by wearing masks, and there were our officers – sworn to protect us – passing their germs to others. I also saw one of them shaking hands. These are things that we cannot afford to do during the pandemic. Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in our county.

When I asked two of the officers, who were standing three feet from me, why they were not wearing masks and were shaking hands, one said the person he shook hands with was a relative. The other officer said they were wearing all of the protective gear, and that was enough. I told him I was worried because I have MS. He told me I would be OK if I stayed six feet away from him. Hey, he walked into my space. I was sitting on a bench.

OK, now aren’t officers supposed to be role models? Aren’t we told we should look up to them? Yes, it was hard wearing a mask for a couple of hours. Yes, we would all have preferred to not wear them. But we decided to protect each other. Oh, yes – except for those who have sworn to do so.

Pat Heller

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin