Sunday, January 16, 2022

In California, We're Still Playing Pandemic!

I haven't heard about this happening in my district yet, but I have to believe it's only a matter of time:

Sacramento City Unified is set to receive a shipment of close to 150,000 N95 respirator masks, which it will begin distributing to teachers and other staff, and expects to receive a shipment of different respirator masks for students next week...

“N95 masks offer the best face covering protection (against COVID-19) that can be provided, blocking 95% of particles when worn properly,” Victoria Flores, a district student support and health services director, said in a statement. “We will be educating our staff on proper fitting and handling of these N95 masks to assure they are used effectively as possible.”

The district said a separate shipment of KF94 masks for students in the district is “expected to arrive as soon as next week.” 

“KF94 masks differ from the N95 masks by using design elements of a cloth mask that contours toward the face with an adjustable band over the nose that filters 94% of particles,” the news release continued.

 The shipments come as the Sacramento region, like the rest of California and most of the nation, sees record-setting COVID-19 transmission due to the highly contagious omicron variant. The California Department of Public Health also recently recommended that people upgrade from cloth masks to surgical masks or respirators in order to provide the best protection.

C.S. Lewis had it right:

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I recently read that the masks whose name begins with K are made in China. There was a big fuss last week when Pelosi required reps to wear KN95 masks.

Auntie Ann said...

Sacramento's cases are already dropping. As usual, government interventions are little and late.

Randomizer said...

I'm astounded by California's ability to remain anxious about Covid for so long. After my colleagues and I got our second vaccination last March, most of us stopped worrying about Covid beyond the mask mandate required around our students.

When I caught Covid six months later, it was mild and passed quickly. Most of us in Ohio, and I suspect many other states, don't think about it any more than we have to. People get get sick, mope around for a couple of days, do some work around the house for a few more days, then go back to work.

I suspect that even in California, polling is looking bad, so buying a bunch of masks after the horses have left the barn, seems like good politics.