Is it Time for a Mask Mandate in New Hampshire?

Here we go again.  New Hampshire is the “Live Free or Die” state for good reason.  Residents of the Granite state take their personal freedoms to heart.  I get it.  I really do get it.  No one likes being told what to do.  But is it time for a mask mandate in our State?�� Some local areas in New Hampshire have a mask mandate, like Nashua.  What if there was a national mandate?  Would you wear one?  The mask is our single best defense to stop the spread of COVID-19 since there are so many people that have it and don’t show symptoms.  According to an article on nhbr.com, Dr. Michael Calderwood, who is the associate chief quality officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, “This is a time for personal sacrifices to benefit the greater good.”

Since the case count is going up in more than 30 states as of this weekend, it just makes sense to me to wear a mask.  I have several cloth masks that I can wash and reuse. I am not perfect.  My wife is constantly telling me, “don’t forget to put your mask on.” Yes, it is a bit of a hassle, it doesn’t feel normal, but I want to protect my wife, who is in a high-risk category.  University of New Hampshire Associate Professor of Health Management Semra Aytur tells www.nhbr.com “If at least 50% of people wear a cloth face covering all the time, it reduces the spread to a reproduction number of 1.  More than 50% could significantly impact that number.”

Are enough people going to push back on wearing a mask to a point where the state will issue a mandate?  I hope people will just choose to do the right thing to protect their families and neighbors.  Yes, we are the live free or die state, but we are also a state where we care about others.  Lets put the masks on before they tell us we have too.  Let’s slow the spread of this disease before we have to take drastic measures that could affect our freedoms even further.