The Upper Cumberland Medical Society is asking all Upper Cumberland Mayors to support businesses requiring masks.
In a letter sent out Tuesday, the medical society expressed concerns for indoor mask wearing. UCMS member Dr. James Gray said supporting residents that defy business owners’ requests does not help the health of other citizens.
“We are asking the county mayor’s to get on board with our businesses and employers,” Gray said. “Who are asking people to wear a mask indoors to protect their customers and their employees.”
With hospitals becoming full, Gray said members of the medical society are frustrated with how local leaders have handled COVID. Gray said businesses are put in a predicament when customers are allowed to not follow public health guidelines.
“The Governor asked the mayors to issue a mask mandate if it is applicable to their region,” Gray said. “Well, there is no other region in the state of Tennessee that has an higher instance than the 14 counties in the Upper Cumberland, yet we don’t have a single county mayor that has the courage to step up and mandate the mask.”
Warren County Mayor Jimmy Haley has enforced a mask mandate, but no others have. As the Upper Cumberland remains a COVID hot spot, Gray said residents have a responsibility to protect their neighbors.
“We do have a pandemic,” Gray said. “It is worse here than any other place in Tennessee, and it is worse here in Tennessee than any other state in the United States right now, because of it spreading rapidly. My message is real clear. There are public health guidelines that are written. We have to make sure we wear a mask. Not to just protect ourselves, but maybe more importantly, to protect others who may be more vulnerable.”
Gray is a retired physician, but said healthcare workers are becoming exhausted with the number of cases. Wearing a mask anywhere in public would reduce this stress and free some hands for other responsibilities, Gray said.
“Our healthcare providers need to be free enough to administer this monoclonal antibody that can be given when somebody comes down with this to prevent them from getting severe COVID,” Gray said. “Also, all our healthcare providers need to be out there to help distribute the vaccines. It is very difficult when we have so many people who are very very sick with this. They are not able to all the preventive things they need to do. My concern is trying to free them up to help everybody achieve immunity.”
Gray said while entering the holidays to consider limited gatherings while wearing a mask.
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