By:  JD Ritter

15 Days to Flatten the Curve Reaches 103 Weeks

Mid-March 2020, the Trump administration under the guidance of Anthony Fauci and the CDC announced the “15 days to flatten the curve” plan. Well that was 102 weeks ago. Yet, after 714 days, here we are still taking precautions to mitigate a virus that has a very low mortality rate of only about 1.6 percent, according to John Hopkins University.

In the last two years, we’ve experienced some of the most drastic measures implemented to curb the spread of Covid-19, which included the closure of schools statewide, forcing school students in Pennsylvania to virtual learning platforms. Initially it was to save the elderly. That narrative has since shifted, and now it has become all about “saving the children” – the population segment least affected by the virus.

After more than a year of virtual learning, our kids were finally allowed to meet again in person. This permission, however, came with a new policy – face masks. It became a requirement that face masks must be worn by our children, again, the population least affected by Covid-19. Since returning to school in-person, the debate over our children wearing face masks has continued to deepen. Largely divided, parents and school boards across the region have continuously butted heads over school board polices that impose mask mandates.

This week, the CDC announced new guidelines for wearing masks. Implementing a three color system, the color-coded system measures the risk of transmission at the community level – green indicating a low risk, yellow representing medium, and red denoting high. With the new system, the CDC has changed its recommendation for wearing masks. The new CDC guidelines state areas currently in green or yellow do not need to wear a mask, while areas in red should. According to the map found on the CDC’s websites, Montgomery County is currently in yellow.

If you live in the Norristown School District, residents received a phone call and an email today from Superintendent Christopher Dormer stating that students, faculty, and visitors are still required to wear face masks. Citing a need for more “answers”, Dormer said he and other superintendents are meeting with the county health department this Tuesday to receive further information and get “clarification”.

So after 15 days to “flatten the curve” yet, here we are 714 days later, still masking our kids. It seems that the power hungry authoritarians are still not ready to relinquish control and give our children back the right to breathe freely. At what point does it stop?