Dear Pinellas County Commissioners:
The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg and the organizations signing on to this letter urge your support for the continuation of the Mask Wearing Ordinance 20-14 by extension of State of County or Local Emergency through at least June 30, 2021. Until the data suggests COVID is more under control across all demographics, the State of County or Local Emergency should continue beyond that date if necessary.
The County needs to review the race data of vaccinations and ensure we are not putting any one group by race, age, or geography in greater risk in our County. There are three data points to utilize according to the Centers for Disease Control, American Public Health Association and others prior to stopping any mask mandate. We must achieve:
1) Vaccination uptake is proportionate regardless of race, age, geography. This indicates broader immunity.
2) Vaccine uptake by race is similar to avoid COVID spreading more predominantly among the unvaccinated. As of April 7th, 19% of Pinellas County Whites have received both doses while 7% of Blacks have received both doses.[1]
3) Positivity rates on COVID-positive tests remain below 5% for one month.
If these thresholds are not reached, mask wearing will continue to protect more lives, reduce hospitalizations, and minimize the number of infections for Pinellas County residents enabling the County to continue focus on those unequal outcomes by demographics.
If the Pinellas County Commission votes to stop wearing masks now, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) will become more and more likely to be infected indicating that Black lives matter less.
Racism in society and the racist systems created over many decades create barriers for BIPOC in society and this is evident in healthcare, and in COVID vaccinations. It is clear that vaccines are effective in dramatically reducing infection rates and reducing symptoms. Now is not the time to stop wearing masks given the increased risks to BIPOC.
We understand that other Counties have foregone the mask mandate in interest of personal freedom; that is at the cost of heavier disease and death for people of color. Pinellas is a unique County as all Florida Counties are – our demographics, topography, and history of red lining with the most dense population in the State create circumstances for higher spread of COVID.
We plead with you to vote for continued mask-wearing in Pinellas County until the data outlined above can be met. This is a race equity decision and represents a real choice in how to deal with protecting all of the Pinellas County residents. We will anxiously watch for your vote to maintain the mask mandate.
Sincerely
[1] Florida Department of Health. COVID-19: Pinellas County Vaccine Summary, https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/ Last accessed 4/8/21
