So, Iowa Must Open Its Schools

Detail of official White House image of a visit by President Trump to Iowa in 2019. Sen. Joni Ernst, Gov. Kim Reynolds and President Donald Trump. Portrait for the "How Not to Govern Hall of Infamy."

Today, on Facebook, which meant it was in fits and starts and a bit glitchy, I was watching Gov. Kim Reynolds give a press conference. She said many of the right things, about the importance of schools and teachers.

Yes, schools are important. Yes, the most vulnerable don’t have equal access to internet and devices at home.

But the language about the importance of school rings hollow. If Iowa had acted aggressively weeks ago so that Corona virus infections were, at this point, rare, it would make sense to go ahead and open the schools.

That, sadly, is not the state that we live in. Reynolds has used mysterious matrices to set confusing rules. She has refused to mandate masks in public, calling this necessary public health measure a “feel-good” step.

Bars and restaurants in Iowa are open. Local governments are limited in what they are allowed to do.

The most frustrating thing about this situation is that, while our knowledge of COVID-19 has shifted over time, the main steps that limit the spread of this new respiratory disease have only really changed in one way.

At first, fearing a mask shortage for medical personnel who must use them, the advice from experts was to not wear a face mask if you were not one of those personnel. Later, studies showed that even though cloth face coverings don’t protect a person who is wearing the covering, they will protect the community because the face mask limits the spread of the exhaled droplets that carry the virus.

So, the mask advice changed. Social distancing advice, hygiene advice, none of that has shifted at all. We should all be wearing masks in public to avoid unintentionally passing on the virus that may be causing no symptoms to us, but can kills others.

In short, wear a mask. Not to protect you, but because we all protect each other when we wear masks.

Reynolds has not taken aggressive enough steps to “flatten the curve” in Iowa. It’s not a mystery how to do that, it’s just that we Iowans are not willing to do it.

It’s both a failure of us as citizens, and a failure of national and state leadership.

President Trump and his officials have made racist comments, calling COVID-19 the “Kung Flu” and darkly hinting that it was deliberately developed by China.

But it hit China first. And quickly spread. And hit all countries. Many of those countries have acted sanely and managed to control the virus and greatly reduce the spread.

But not America. It’s not the fault of China or Chinese Communists that the United States is now the hot mess that it has become.

Our leaders failed us. The Republican party, which has become a cult of personality around an ignorant "dear leader," failed us. We failed us. We can vote Trump out this fall, but thousands will needlessly die in the meantime due to the continuing incompetence of the party in power and our individual refusal to act in any way that can protect the community.

Well, it’s late July. In a few weeks, schools will open. Here is the official word.

Today, do whatever you can to flatten the curve in Iowa. Starting Monday, Walmart will require masks for shoppers. Let’s assume the whole state of Iowa is not above following that retailer’s lead.

If we all wear masks whenever we have to be in proximity with each other, and avoid needless indoor gatherings, we can flatten the curve. We need to, before schools open.

Sadly, I don’t think we will. Too many Iowans reject the “mainstream” media in favor of social media, where the ignorant have equal footing with the well informed.

In this dark hour, we need leadership that we are not going to get. We need sanity and rational thinking that seems to be beyond us.

Be that as it may, you can still do you. You and I can be the best you and me that’s possible. Starting today, in this hot summer of 2020, do what you can.

Stay away from others. Wash your hands. If you can, absent a valid medical reason, wear the damn mask.

If not, you’re unmasking yourself as a selfish, horrible person who won’t do one simple thing to protect others.

Reynolds says we can depend on Iowans to do the right thing. Then she seems to have worked too hard to prove that wrong. Let’s surprise the world. Even if leaders won’t tell us what to do, we should know some steps already. We don't have to wait for leadership that is failing us.

Your face? Mask it.

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