COVID cases are growing at an exponential rate in Dane County. See chart in https://www.nbc15.com/2020/06/29/dane-co-sees-record-number-of-coronavirus-cases-in-a-single-day/ This growth will likely only get worse with the upcoming July 4th holiday weekend and the return of UW Madison students in August. 

Medical professionals, health officials and scientists say that wearing face masks helps prevent the spread of the deadly Covid-19.

The Dane County should require everyone to wear masks and practice physical distancing in public places. Many city, county and state governments already require this. Dane County should protect its residents, too, so they're safe as possible. 

Masks help prevent a wearer from infecting others. But mask wearers are not protected if others don't wear masks. Not wearing masks puts everyone in public spaces -- including customers and employees -- at risk.

While some businesses require masks for everyone, others do not. There's no way a consumer can know where masks are required. Without rules, some people won't wear masks, even though they could infect others.

With everyone wearing masks, workers and businesses will benefit, as more people feel safe to spend money at Dane County businesses. 

Can we truly reopen if we don't make Dane County public spaces as safe as possible?

Dane County should require that people wear masks in public places and maintain physical distancing until health professionals say these practices are no longer needed. The alternative is more lockdowns, business failures, and serious illness and death.