I keep seeing references to a decision made in #NY state, to send / keep elderly patients in group care homes instead of dispersing them into less-crowded situations where fewer would be affected by any one person’s infection. I honestly do not have the time or inclination to dig into it.

But I can point to the state of #GA suing heavily affected #Atlanta to remove local mask-requirements and other restrictions. Instead of allowing local governments to respond appropriately, Governor Kemp said he wants people to voluntarily choose to behave appropriately. But he cannot be unaware of those who will not do so for political reasons.

There is over a century of precedent (since Typhoid Mary) that shows (1) that some infectious people will not choose to behave appropriately, (2) that their misbehavior causes other people to become sick and die, (3) that the only and best response is to force such people to restrict their activities, such that they can no longer infect others. In the original case, it was because the carrier did not understand how one could carry a disease without any obvious symptoms. That was still a new idea at the time. In today’s situation, it is willingly choosing not to understand that which requires restrictions on what one can do or where one can go.