Letter to the Editor: Let’s mask up until we all get vaccinated

I’m wearing a mask again. For a few months after I was vaccinated, I felt safe. But not now. Not with only 52% of Delawareans fully vaccinated. Not when I’m in a supermarket and see only a few people wearing masks, even though anyone not immunized should be wearing one. Not with COVID-19 cases predicted by some to quadruple in the U.S. Not when 80% of the unvaccinated say they probably or definitely won’t get the shot.

Some countries are taking action. On July 12, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that as of Aug. 1, people must show vaccination certificates before entering trains, planes, restaurants and other public places. There were protests against Macron’s order, but 3.7 million people scheduled to get the vaccine in the first week after his announcement. On July 19, France set a daily record of 900,000 vaccinations.

In 1905 and again in 1922, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the authority of state and municipal governments to enforce compulsory vaccination laws. I have little hope that states will use this authority in time to stop the current COVID-19 surge. Today, it is up to institutions, business owners and individuals to act.

The University of Delaware and Delaware State University are among the 600 colleges and universities that require students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated before returning to campus in the fall. Delaware Technical Community College is not on this list.

When Bruce Springsteen opened on Broadway last month, everyone in his audience older than 16 had to show proof of coronavirus vaccination. Attendees under 16 had to show a recent negative test. Other entertainment venues have followed suit. A growing number of restaurants around the country are adopting “no vax, no service” policies to protect their staff and patrons.

I’m retired, so I have the privilege of choosing to stay home and be relatively safe. But that’s not the case for front-line workers. They must earn a living and thus risk exposure to COVID-19. And that exposure is growing every day. As Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said, we’re “going in the wrong direction.”

Let’s do what we can to change directions. Urge theaters, restaurants and places of worship to adopt a policy that requires vaccinations or negative tests. Check to see if plumbers and electricians are vaccinated before they enter our homes. Since the honor system isn’t working, urge all businesses to require everyone to wear a mask. We can begin today by wearing a mask when we go into a store — even if we are vaccinated.

I have no illusions of changing anyone’s mind who doesn’t believe COVID-19 is a deadly and highly infectious virus. But I hope those of us who believe the science that the vaccines work will act to protect our front-line workers and avoid another winter of isolation.

Joanne Cabry

Rehoboth Beach