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Dear Editor:
We thank Iowa County Sheriff Michek for his public support of Governor Ever's effort to keep us safer with the new mask Order, and for his commitment to help enforce that Order.
People should ignore Trump and stop politicizing masks. Wearing them in public places clearly saves lives. And, the sooner we all wear them, the sooner our local businesses can recover and our children can safely return to school.
It is sadly predictable that the Republican sheriffs in two of our neighboring counties-Grant and Lafayette-have proclaimed that they won't help enforce the Order. Grant County has had 14 people die so far of Covid, with over 300 confirmed cases, and yet the Sheriff won't help protect his constituents from the virus. Sheriffs should enforce all the laws, not just the ones that comport with their personal political views.
There is no constitutional or other legal right to flaunt the common sense mask rules uniformly backed by scientific and medical professionals. Laws requiring masks are no more intrusive than the many other rules in our society that limit personal choices such as requiring shoes and shirts in restaurants, prohibiting smoking in public places, requiring seatbelts and prohibiting texting while driving.
People who refuse to wear masks in public places are selfishly indifferent to the health and well being of their vulnerable friends and neighbors. They also are harming our businesses and making it needlessly tough for children to safely return to school. Significant portions of our community such as my family and friends stopped shopping at our favorite local businesses because so many customers refused to respect our health. We instead shopped on line or in Dane County where staff and customers all wore masks. With Governor Evers and Sheriff Michek now looking out for our safety, we look forward to returning to shop locally.
Wisconsin Republicans like Voss, Novak and the Grant County Sheriff should take this virus seriously. It's not just an urban threat. The virus is sickening and killing thousands of Americans in areas across the country more rural than Iowa County. Americans are dying at the rate of one person a minute. Who would have thought that Wisconsin residents have become such health pariahs that we are barred from entering Illinois and several East coast states without quarantining.
We need to be proactive.
It is reassuring to have responsible public officials who care about our health like Sheriff Michek.
Mike and Susan Van Sicklen
Dodgeville