Governor John Bel Edwards and Mayor LaToya Cantrell seem to be on the same page of the COVID-19 response playbook. They both are in favor of wearing masking indoors in places like restaurants, bars and nightclubs so you don’t get infected with the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus. In the unscientific survey WWL conducted we started off by asking people if they thought society would go backwards into mask mandates and potential stay at home orders like the early days of the pandemic.
“For some it’s a step back… …I believe so, I’m agreeing with the Mayor… …I think eventually we’re going to go back just like it was because people are not getting their shots and they’re not taking it seriously… …Well we are going to have to if people don’t get their shots… …We’ll have a rollback, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
It was surprising how open people were about mask mandates in hopes it would stop the spread.
Out of all the people I talked to nobody was resistant with the idea of masking up a second time:
“If that’s what we all need to do, then that’s what we need to do to get through this… …We want this stuff to come on down so we can get back to normal… …We need to wear the mask or it’s just going to spread, I believe so… …I feel like in the beginning we should have never-ever took the mask off, we should’ve stayed with the masks on… …Wear your mask, it’s a safety precaution… …The numbers are going up then we should mask up!”
Also surprising, everybody I talked to was vaccinated and felt strongly about telling others to get vaccinated.
With the highly contagious Delta variant attacking mostly unvaccinated people, what would you tell someone who hasn't had their shots?
“Taking their health in their hands, I suppose, and certainly not helping with the spread… …Wear your mask and stay protected… …Everybody wants to be out, but I’d rather be safe than sorry… …For the better of everyone, it’s probably better that everyone get the vaccine… …So I would suggest if you're sick you should stay home, if you feel sick you should stay home, get tested, get vaccinated, and be safe.”
Most of those I spoke with said we were sliding backward toward mask mandates and potential stay at home orders because of the spread of Delta among the unvaccinated.
What did people WWL spoke with think is going to happen next?
“I don’t think we’ll get a handle on it, either. With the last situation we were in, it was so much of a money loss, they probably won’t require stricter rules, they’ll probably leave us on our own… …Cases are rising and it’s probably going to result in more restrictions at some point… …Still, it’s America, everyone still got freedom here. So you get to make your own choices.”
Is it American to resist vaccination? What do you think?
