I strongly urge for the mask mandate to be extended in Hays, Kansas. Keep our citizens safe. Seeing as there has been and continues to be an increase in coronavirus cases and masks have been shown to reduce and even prevent the spread, please enforce the mask mandate. There have been several studies that show that masks are effective in reducing the spread. In seeing this, a mask has shown to be more effective than simply not wearing one. In many stores and out in public social distancing cannot be done. The people who are trying to stay safe and wear masks are not protected because of the lack of enforcement and people who choose to not wear masks. The goal of all city commissioners should be to protect all the people within their communities, by choosing to not extend the mask mandate, you are putting the very lives of the of the people in your communities at risk. Now I understand that masks have become a topic of controversy and of politics. However, city commissioners should be concerned about one thing and one thing only the safety of the people within their communities. Masks have not been proven to be 100% effective but in comparison to not wearing a mask it is a better option seeing as the number of lives that could be saved lies in the tens of thousands according to some models. Tens of thousands of lives could be saved if masks were worn. Nothing in this world is 100% effective but masks do show to significantly reduce the risk of spread. To be able to open and keep schools running in the fall, reducing the spread is a must and masks can help that happen. I strongly urge the city commissioners to enforce something that could save lives. Do the right thing for Hays!

Please reference the articles that show masks help reduce the spread. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article244839757.html

https://www.kshb.com/news/coronavirus/data-shows-kansas-mask-mandates-have-reduced-covid-19-cases

Picture credit: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wear_Face_Masks_Icon.svg