To Cynthia Bettison and the Silver City Town Council
Dear Cynthia:
I would like to thank each of you along with the mayor for your dedicated & sacrificial service to the town of Silver Ciity. You are appreciated by many.
I also appreciate your concern and caring for the health of the residents of he city and our county.
In regard to the proposal requiring face masks in Silver City, or suffer a penalty, I am concerned for several reasons. Some statistics
1.According to the New Mexico cv.nmhealth.org site, 76 people in Grant County have tested positive for Covid 19 since March 1, 2020. That is 76 out of 6,688 who were tested or roughly 1% to have had the virus. Seventy-four of those have already passed the non-contagious 14 day quarantine. Seventy-six people out of 26,000 residents is .29% which is hardly significant.
2. Nationally. 99.6% of people survive the Covid 19 slightly more than the common flu, for which we never have required the general populace to wear face masks.
3. There were only 64 Covid patients hospitalized in all of New Mexico as of Saturday, 8/22/20. For a state with 2.2 Million population, that is a very small number. (.00003).
4. Most masks have pores large enough to let the very small virus pass through.
5. Breathing through a mask all day is not very healthy for a person. Rebreathing carbon dioxide and other particles. There are not sufficient studies that prove a mask will prevent getting the virus.
6. Younger people (40 and under) have very little problem with covid 19. Residents over 65, especially over 75 have a much harder time with it. In fact a higher percentage of the deaths are from elderly in nursing homes.
7. Studies have shown that wearing a face mask while vigorously exercising lowers your blood oxygen level, Not good.
I agree that for now we should socially distance, can choose to wear masks when in close presence of vulnerable people, but to pass a law to require all people to wear face masks in Silver City is not only a breach of our constitutional rights, but a burden on most of the populace.
I beseech the council not to pass this ordinance requiring face mask to be worn in all of Silver city. Thank you for your consideration.
PLEASE DO NOT PASS A FACE MASK ORDINANCE
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph Pidutti
Silver City, NM 88061