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COMMENTARY
imagine masks
(Mike Allen)

Imagine this: We are currently seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases. In response, local leaders are offering mixed messaging on what to do about it.

I’m being honest when I say I’m not sure how to interpret Gov. Kevin Stitt’s statements Tuesday about slowing the spread of the virus by encouraging masks but not requiring people to wear them. Was it a hedge to please everyone? Is it a low bar we’ve cleared that we’re even acknowledging we have a problem? I think it came off as a halfway point between taking mask-wearing seriously (“It’s this easy”) and dismissing the idea entirely (“We believe in freedoms.”) What you end up with is a message that doesn’t satisfy anyone.

The situation is tinged with a political hue — I’m not naive to why Stitt chooses to hedge — but it’s completely unnecessary. Wearing masks can be to everyone’s benefit if we get through this quickly, and using our collective knowledge about what works, collectively, should be the clear message we hear going forward.

And really, why don’t we just have fun with the issue while we’re here? Imagine masks of all different styles. Make a fashion statement. Get creative and, who knows, it could be its own art movement. That’s a message I could get behind. Just imagine ….

Past Sundaze comics

Mike Gundy has shirt problems
Coronavirus spike: There’s still a pandemic out there
Safety and cleanliness are priorities for Election Day
Remember to put yourself in someone else’s shoes
Them boys from Oklahoma roll their joints all wrong
Pour yourself an age and wisdom on the rocks
All the government Oklahoma could ever want
Open sesame: Kevin Stitt and the 40 mayors
Parents agree: The Easter bunny is an essential worker
Bad news for Cheetos: Our behaviors are changing
Quarantine quandary: Are your pets sick of you yet?
Quarantine: A rear window into our worried minds
From wipes to swipes, social (distance) life impacted
Birds of a feather draw together
Where the whiskey drowns and the Bern chases …
Blow up the Thunder? Chris Paul extinguished the fuse
Imagine that: New Oklahoma brand confuses some
Be careful searching, algorithm overlords are watching
Oklahoma’s recent liquor bicker confusing, even sober
Highway to the construction zone
All ears: OU basketball gets it right as Top Daug returns
Stitt, tribal leaders pack their poker faces for court