Mike Napier COVID update mask recommendation

53:11Mr.

53:11Napier,

53:11good morning. Uh good morning, Commissioners. Uh Mike Napier, Florida Department of Health. Um Pasco County Attorney Little Road Newport Ritchie. I appreciate the opportunity to come back and give you an update. It was 30 days since the last update and uh I wish I had better news. Um our goal when we talked last time was let's see what the data looks like and maybe we can make decisions. Um I can get the next slide. This is the meat and potatoes of what uh Where we at right now we have uh 10,294

53:42positive cases That was as of yesterday. That's a three and a half percent increase over the last seven days. That's three hundred and fifty eight new cases uh just this past week. Um the po uh The total population infected was just under two percent. And we have um a 1% less than 1%.04 uh population has died. That's 229 cases. Um That's a typo on the uh Looks like it's great out there. So the other

54:13point that we talk about is the seven-day rolling average of cases. Last month when I was here, we had increased from 29 cases per day on average for seven days up to 49. As of today, we're looking at 53 cases per day. That represented an eight point one percent increase from last month when I came and spoke with you. The other part that's a little bit alarming is that our 14-day rolling average, that's the percent of positive cases that we get each day, has climbed from 3.2% to

54:434.5%. That represents a 40% increase in the number of positive cases percentage-wise. Uh the next slide please. I I like to show you this because this is the raw data that people are always interested in looking at. The circled areas is again where our positive cases are. And as of today we have 227 uh uh deaths. I would draw your attention to the right hand side, it's a little hard to see, but that gives us an average age of each case. Each m uh when

55:13we get uh 50 cases in each day, they break that down by age group, but they also tell us what the average age is. Uh the next slide.

55:23Uh, you know, we've talked a lot about testing and how much testing we're doing and what percent positive of those cases. This graph really just demonstrates how many results we get each day and then what percent positive. A couple of those blips where we saw 12.9, um, many of you probably have seen in the media where we've had some data collection issues where they've had data dumps, and so we just that was an aberration. Uh, the concerning point is is that uh Uh back in early September we were below three percent on uh seven day rolling average. Now

55:54as you can see each day over the last several days we're we're thinking up to uh five percent. The next slide. Uh because this slide's getting kind of busy, uh I I broke that down and and what this slide demonstrates is the blue line, the blue bar graph uh demonstrates the number of cases each day. Uh the darker line that keeps kind of going off to the end of the chart is the cumulative number of cases. And then the red line or the orange line is the uh seven day average. We

56:24also put in here um and if we can flip to the next page it's a little easier to see. Um The next page is right here is um cutting it down since August to give you a better idea of those numbers when you had the spike. Um we are seeing those numbers uh trailing up a little bit. Uh we've marked in there where we had reopening of the bars, we've had uh phase three openings, uh school openings. And um while we're not seeing a huge increase, we are trending up and statistically we

56:54are trending uh in the wrong direction. When I spoke to you last time, our hopes were that uh those numbers would continue to trail down back to our our um or at least maintain back to our our early September numbers, but we're actually uh slightly increasing from those numbers. We talked a little bit about regionally. The dark slot, the dark graph is Hillsborough County. The next one down, uh I guess the green color is is Penellus and we're uh the

57:24red graph. It demonstrates that we work lockstep when we talk about a regional approach. Well our numbers are lower because of per capita. It does demonstrate that we are one community when it comes to our cases. I would draw your attention to the very end of that graph. If you follow, Penellis has done pretty well over the last several months. They're starting to see an increase. I spoke with a health officer this morning, yesterday morning, and he is concerned that his cases are starting to climb, and you can see that at the very end. Um the

57:55next slide, please. I presented this to you last time and talks a little bit about some metrics and criteria to use. This was from CDC and the Harvard Global Public Health Institute. As I mentioned before, we were at 30 cases per day back in early September. When I presented to you last month, we were up to 49 cases on a seven-day rolling average. And today we sit at 53%. percent uh or 53 cases per day uh are on an average

58:25for seven days. Our goal and our goal mark would be that we'd have one case per day per hundred thousand, which means we'd have about five and a half cases a day. That's the gold standard and uh we've got a ways to get there. The next slide. We uh we know that schools was one of the questions was uh what was going to be the impact of schools. I gotta give a shout out to the school system. They've been great in working with the students and faculty in the health department and working in uh letting parents know as soon as we can

58:55about a positive case. I will tell you that the schools are not driving our case increases. They represent roughly 15% of our cases, which is what we had seen previously. W the part that probably most of you have heard from some constituents of some kind and I know some staff here have been impacted, but we have thirty three hundred and forty-six students that have been exposed to someone that was positive, which means that they need to be isolated for those days and that's interrupts with everything from football practices

59:25to SAT scores to all the things that life continues to go on. We understand that it's disruptive, but um We're also trying to prevent the spread. I had a long talk with my staff this yesterday morning and asked about are we seeing spread within the schools? In other words, is there kids that are sick and they're spreading it to their classmates? The schools do an extremely good job and we're not we're and we're not signing we're not finding spread within the school system itself. Typically what we're finding is that a parent is sick and then the child becomes sick. It's not being spread within the

59:55school system. System. Uh the next slide. Um the conclusion uh we're continuing to see trends upward in the number of cases. Not in from last time when I was here in front of you, uh we went from twenty-nine to fifty. We're only going from fifty to fifty-three, so we're not seeing the same steep climb that we were saw last time. Our positivity rate is concerning. We were feeling pretty good when we were at 3%. We're getting pretty close to 5% right now in the number of cases out of

1:00:25all the testing that we're doing. And I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't remind you all to get the flu shot. It's never too late. Every corner has a place to get the flu shot. And we want to make sure that uh this is a good reminder for everyone to uh uh Get the flu uh the flu season and we want to encourage people to get the flu shot. Uh I'd be happy to take any questions, sir.

1:00:46Thanks Mr. Napierre. Um Commissioner Oakley, good on the line.

1:00:49Mr. Night, you're uh I noticed last week there were some uh rapid tests given at some outdoor events and some people that evening were shown to be positive. only to go the next morning to the doctor's office and be proven they were N actually negative. So Are those rapid tests just not very good test or? Um Yeah, it seems like they're having some false readings

1:01:17for some of those. Uh there's the antigen chest test and then there's the antibody test. The antigen test is pretty good at at detecting positive cases. If you take an antigen test and you get po test positive You have a high probability and then 95% tell that it's positive. If it's negative, it's about an 80% positivity. So anybody who tests negative on an antigen test, we're recommending they still go get a PCR test. It's one of those immediate, yep, you're positive, but if it's negative, you're not real sure where your status is. So that's where that problem is. The second thing I need to tell you

1:01:47is that um with the antigen test, they've given a lot of those tests out. to various uh doctor's offices, nursing homes. The problem is that they're not reporting positives back to us. Because currently a lab runs those results, and those labs know to send those reports back to us at the health department. The antigen test is done in a doctor's office, is done somewhere. It's positive, they notify the client, but we're working through a portal to make sure that we get that information so that we can do the contact tracing. Someone's positive, but we don't know it until, you know, sometimes as much as a week later that they're

1:02:18They've been out and and we've not been able to do the epidemiology part of it.

1:02:22There's one person I know. They said they were positive that evening and the next day went to the doctor's office and

1:02:32Without knowing the specific test that was run, whether it

1:02:34was

1:02:34an antibody or antigen test, that would be hard to say. But yes, there is con some confusion out there about About the test results. So

1:02:43Uh I've still heard uh another question about mask and everybody's, you know A lot of people are against, a lot of people are for it. Um I'm for it. I don't think it's time and with the cases coming up like there are I think we should continue our mask but Um I'm gonna leave that up to y'all. I thought I'd feel a lot better if we had a uh vaccine. that uh we could start been vaccinated and I'd feel better at that point in time if we do have a mask

1:03:13but Right now it seems like it's a thing we need to be very watchful about continuing.

1:03:19Sure.

1:03:20Uh for some time, I guess. So It's not really a question, but I've I've heard people very positive about use of masks being very good.

1:03:30And and I don't think anybody's here saying that masks are are fun to use or that nobody enjoys using them. We understand that. It's just a matter of the times we're in and and and the need to be able to Do something to prevent the the spread of the disease.

1:03:43Right.

1:03:44Commissioner Starkey.

1:03:45Um I just wanna kinda make a comment. So I just returned from visiting my granddaughter. in Connecticut and then driving through the country To a wedding in North Carolina. And then driving here. And I know the masks are uncomfortable, but we don't have a strict mask ordinance. Cause I can tell you that where I've been, North Carolina Pennsylvania, Connecticut. You gotta wear it everywhere. You

1:04:16have to wear it walking down the sidewalk. You are

1:04:21When you step outside your door. Uh I didn't see that really here. I mean it's really odd to me to be out. biking on a trail and seeing someone biking or hiking with the mask on when there's no one around and you're out in the woods. But that is what I saw. as I traveled down um the east coast. So Uh you know it

1:04:44I think we need to continue. Um I'm don't think our mask ordinance is way over the line. Um I know that even if we were to do something, many of the stores would still continue to have their rules and as a small business owner With I don't know what we have, forty employees or so. They would not They would not be working. Because they w we've already had one employee lose a family member, at least one. And um

1:05:15They they are nervous to be confronted with people without wearing masks and uh so I I say stay the course still. So that's where I am. Thank you.

1:05:29Did you have anything, Commissioner Weightman Commissioner Oakley moving down the line?

1:05:34No, Mike, um Yeah, I mean uh Like I said before, I'm not gonna beat a dead horse, but I mean do you so I'm assuming you're telling us that you recommend us continuing with the masks?

1:05:45Yeah.

1:05:45I know the number before was under five percent. I know we're right there at five percent. Um Yeah, is that what you're saying?

1:05:53Yeah, and I think from from not only our county standpoint, but from a regional standpoint. I spoke with each of my counterparts in Penellas and in uh Pasco uh Penellus in uh Hillsborough County this yesterday morning. They're in front of their boards today and tomorrow and I think the consensus was that uh as a region we were looking to continue to make sure that uh the mask Uh re b ordinance was still in place and there's no evidence that they're gonna be able to point to. If if I was standing here and and our numbers had declined since my last presentation. and we were

1:06:23we're starting to make good progress, then all right, that might be a little different conversation. But uh right now with what our numbers are demonstrating, I couldn't I couldn't uh suggest that the data says that we should change course of what we're at right now.

1:06:38Peter Young? Commissioner Oriano. Thank you, Mr. Chairman Mariano and it was one I had kind of seen before, but I don't know if the rest of you had seen it, so Uh it's about Dr. Fauci and the Surgeon General making comments about the masks a long time ago. And then as he makes his comments. There's some commentary from some OSHA specialists that deal with masks about what she what they think. So we just get that little segment of the same thing.

1:07:04And then this masks thing seemed to come out of nowhere. And we saw virtually every professional, from Fauci himself to the Surgeon General, saying, Oh, yeah, you don't want to wear a mask. In fact, it might even spread the illness. is at the very least it's gonna do nothing at all.

1:07:22Right now in the United States. People should not be walking around with masks. When you're in the middle of an outbreak Wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a a droplet, but it's not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is. And

1:07:48Did we get a Glitch going on here.

1:07:51Often there are unintended consequences. People keep fiddling with the mask and they keep touching their face.

1:07:57So we recommend that people who are sick wear a mask. We recommend that people who are around someone who's COVID positive wear a mask, but do not recommend that the general public wears masks as a protective mechanism.

1:08:11Um why did you decide to what was it? In your world, I don't live in a mask, but this is what you do for a living. When you started seeing on the news we want everybody in the country wearing masks, what was your first thought?

1:08:23Well that was the red flag for me. That's why I jumped in and got involved. Um I mean it was all very concerning to me because it didn't make sense. But originally when the experts, including Dr. Fauci, was saying healthy people do not need to wear masks, there's no need for that. And then all of a sudden we started getting this COVID fatigue and we were kind of getting over it at about week three, four, five, right? All of a sudden now everybody flip-flops and oh we need to mask up. And I went, Whoa, whoa, whoa, we don't just mask up. That is not only illegal and against our it violates our civil liber liberties, right? Right.

1:08:53It is incredibly dangerous and unsafe and unhealthy. And that's when I started speaking up and that's how Kristen and I met. Well also, um, within my career

1:09:00field, I used to work in hospitals and I've sat on numerous infectious disease boards. And what I did is I sat and educated nurses, doctors, surgeons on how to deal with flu outbreaks. The SARS outbreak. So I knew, yes, there's something called the hierarchy of safety and controls. We have the engineering standards, there's work practices that you change. PPE is a last resort. But when you're dealing with infectious disease patients, these are not the masks that you wear. Even N95s are not fully rated to protect against a virus. These micron sizes, again,

1:09:30they're not rated by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. They are not approved for this use, so not only is this a bad idea. I there's numerous studies for years based off of the flu outbreaks across the world several years ago that not only do these earloop masks and cloth masks not work. They are increasing the spread through fomite transmission, which is a form of cross-contamination. You're touching your face. No one is trained on when you're supposed to change these out. No one is trained that when they're soiled or you work in a human environment. These things

1:10:00increase the spread. You re-inhale your exhausted gaseous waste. And you can increase your viral load. So if you are ill, not only can you continue to spread it, because you're not understanding the hand hygiene aspect of that, but you will be sicker longer.

1:10:14Speaking of inhaling your own gases, I actually did a video with my son Ever. For anyone uh that might have missed it, um I got

1:10:23Okay. He'll go on to talk about and shows actually his son doing a mask test properly and how with the reduction of Um Oxygen leads to a high higher contents of uh contamination under the mask. If you just go to page nine of the thirteen of the document I sent you with the COVID uh update. Um Dr. Russell Bl Blaylock says it's known that the Net 95 mask as worn for hours can reduce Blocks oxygenation as much as 20 percent. Which can

1:10:53to believe lead to a loss of consciousness as happened to the Hapless fellow driving around in his car wearing a nine ninety five mask when he passed out and crashed his car. Um Go down a little bit further to the next paragraph. The recommendations by the CDC and the WHO are not based on any studies of this COVID virus and have never been used to contain any of other virus pandemic in the history. Um I want to read to you one email I got um and I'm not sure how many were all out there, but this is a gentleman that wanted me to Uh

1:11:24let you all know. And you know, through transmission as we know, this COVID thing, it people don't always know what to do. So I'm just gonna read these.

1:11:32It's time you and your friends change the rule on face masks. It should be up to the people, not Pasco County. I am 70 with C O P D. I go to the gym six days a week without a mask. I was in the Marines. had bladder cancer and not afraid of death.

1:11:53life without your control with your controls. You're not my mother. This is about the election. More than 700,000 people die every year from cancer. But no one says a word about cancer. It's time d we do the right thing and remove the mask. Now One of the other things that you read about is the preventions of of death are so much better. I mean you can look at the President, what he just went through, how quick he bounced back. Hydroxychloroquine is getting out there a little bit more. Uh Bidenicide

1:12:23has got like a ninety-five percent uh cure rate. Uh Remdemosphere is something very expensive but still can help. So we're treating it a lot better and when you look at two hundred and twenty nine deaths In Pasco County? It's.043%, is that correct?

1:12:40Yep.

1:12:41So that's one four w four deaths out of percent. Yeah.

1:12:45A little less than half a percent.

1:12:47I mean it it's it' the the the n the numbers are staggeringly low, and I will tell you the people I talk to are frustrated. I'm all about keeping this making it strongly recommend. Let the people that want to wear it wear it, but don't make it that everybody has to wear it. I think the numbers are low enough, they're strong enough, and they may stay right at that number. We ever gonna get rid of this thing? Let people that want to protect themselves to go that way do it. But this virus, as they that doctor had mentioned, uh or the mask expert had mentioned, It can still go through the N ninety five mass

1:13:17from what they're saying. And you're not getting that full protection in these reduce oxygen levels are not healthy as well. I've even got one lady who was telling me how she g has a an infection from wearing a mask. So I am going to make a motion that we change our mask recommendation to strongly recommend.

1:13:37There's a motion on the floor.

1:13:41Discussion

1:13:44Um and Mike, I mean uh You know And I want to thank you and your team. I mean uh You know, I I agree with Commissioner Oriano, but I don't look at all the other stuff. I don't look on Facebook. I listen to you. Um Because I feel you're our expert, which you are, your team. That's who I listen to on purpose, because there's stuff out there all over. The stuff the commissioner, you know I don't disagree with it. Um but I think if you're sick you should wear a mask. If you think you might have it, you should wear a mask to help others and and I

1:14:14don't really have an issue doing it, um 'cause if I can say like like I've already said. But I I I do agree with you, Commissioner. I just don't think there's three There's three other votes. Um there and and again I think we should make it highly and you talk about the region, you still have Hernando, Citrus, Polk. Does Polk No. That's what I thought. So we've got three counties in the region that aren't making people wear masks. And again, we should highly recommend it because folks should be wearing the mask and social distance and You know, um

1:14:44so I

1:14:49The speakers here were trying to say that or trying to prove that masks could be a hundred percent foolproof. That's not the point of face masks. They're not a hundred percent bulletproof. If you wear it exactly perfectly, that there's a suggestion that there's no way you're gonna get the virus. The mask is one of three ways to make sure to ensure that we reduce the spread of the disease. Not entirely stop it, but I think there's some notion that the masks that w Wanna be implied that well a mask is gonna solve all the problems. That's why we have social distancing and hand washing to go along with it,

1:15:19that the mask is only one component. And and I don't think anyone said it's foolproof. It's just a matter of one of multiple things that we use to uh to manage uh uh the spread of the disease.

1:15:29So I I'm gonna gonna jump in the discussion a little bit too. A and just a suggestion, Commissioner Oak I so I got a call from the advent CEO last week. I'm trying to remember it was Wednesday or Thursday, I can't remember. Unsolicited call called me and said, Hey, what are you guys doing, you know, with masks? I said, Well, you know, it's still in place. Um we have an update from the health department on Tuesday. And once again he said he goes You can bring this up, he goes you can have any commissioner call me and I suggest you do this. Listen to the local

1:15:59healthcare professionals, give them a call, hospital CEOs, medical directors. That's important. These are the people here in Pasco County.

1:16:07He goes, unfortunately our hospitalizations have just increased again. He goes, I can't answer why. He goes, but they have. Um Then another letter was it two weeks ago from the medical director from Advent Again Um making that recommendation. So I don't know how many people here besides myself receive those calls and those emails and have those discussions with hospital CEOs, medical directors, ER physicians, epidemiologists, infectious

1:16:38disease physicians, which I do constantly 'cause I know a lot of them t as well. Um coming from a healthcare background, I have a lot of the connections obviously. I have a wife that works in the COVID pit on a daily basis, um, as you well know, um, and sees what's happening. I'm just making a suggestion that um Reach out and have those conversations. I'm seeing things here, which is fine, but these aren't I don't know any of these people. I don't know one of 'em. So let me keep going. I don't know any of 'em. So how

1:17:08about we have a conversation or you have a conversation or any other commissioner wants to with our local physicians, our local hospital CEOs, our local epidemiologists, infectious disease doctors, and get their opinions and have them write us a letter that they say it's no good. I would love to see that. 'Cause you're not gonna get one, but I would I would I at least suggest you have a conversation with 'em. That's my suggestion. Anybody. I'm telling this is across the board.

1:17:33It it I can tell you from a regional standpoint, we were talking to the hospital executives at one point and there was floated an idea when we first re we meaning the Department of Health talked to the regional health official uh medical community suggested that they have masks until flu season was over. Yeah, that and and that was we heard that. Yeah, and so we kinda balked at that saying, Well that isn't really what I think the commission looking for. I think that that was just a blanket statement. And so I don't think that really helps our cause. I think we're trying to be able

1:18:03to come down to some numbers and be able to help provide that guidance.

1:18:06Again that's just a that's a suggestion for anybody. You have that conversation with them. I mean, see if they'll r if they'll write something different. If they will I mean ask ask an infectious disease physician. Here in Pasco County. Or an epidemiologist what they agree with or disagree with on the on on what's here. Because I I go by who I actually physical people I have conversations with or I talk to them personally on the telephone or I talk to them in person. I I

1:18:36don't know any of the I don't know any of these people. I don't know who these people are. I don't know if they're real or not, 'cause the stuff I see on Facebook kind of cracks me up sometimes to be honest with you. 'Cause I know some of the stuff on Facebook is definitely not real. I never use social media for any of anything when it comes medically related, I will never, ever take that serious. Just like a physician's not going to take that serious. These people go to medical school for a long time. We

1:19:06have you know, so I that's who I think we should be having conversations with. Invite them in. That'd be a suggestion.

1:19:15Commissioner Yeah

1:19:16or at least Zoom. They're not gonna come in here. But no, he uh Commissioner Oakley was first, but um But you never look

1:19:22over here.

1:19:22Yeah, sorry. Sorry, I no no no. I did look over You guys went first. Now he

1:19:28he

1:19:29so um anyway, uh that's a suggestion. Maybe ha invite them to get on a zoom with us if they're if they're willing to to have that discussion. I'm sure a lot of them would be willing to. But I don't know if they'll collaborate with this. Good. Good please.

1:19:43Okay. Um as far as locally, um been to a few nurses over the past six months, whatever and

1:19:49my wife's nurse.

1:19:50And one's allergies. Matter of fact, two of them. And frankly they tell me that No, they've had enough of the mask. I've talked to other nurses, other other situations.

1:19:59Is there a physician willing to write a statement since the I

1:20:01didn't say physician, I just said the nurses. So I'm I'm talking about the conversation I had with people that are real that are here local that that that deal with it every day. Um But you know Let's face it, when we first heard about this thing, the scare factor of getting death and going through. I mean, let's face it, when we saw what Como did up in New York putting all those people in nursing homes and all the death rates skyrocketing, and then we had our own in nursing homes that skyrocketed these numbers because most of these deaths are people how old? Seventy and over. Seventy and over. A lot of them

1:20:31had other conditions. Yeah. Not just strictly COVID. And then we get numbers that have been pushed down our throats for so high. And recently they said ninety-four percent of all the deaths Only six percent were just COVID alone. Um the number is two twenty nine right now. Do you have a chart to show what that graph has gone and where that grass is looking at right now as far as deaths, how do how does it look?

1:20:52Yeah, it's flattened out. It it it mirrors the the graph that we had up there before with the spike in the number of cases. It was the the deaths were a microcosm of that spike.

1:21:01Yeah. So again, it it's it's really just a matter of I'm I'm on the right-of-way. for people wearing the mask, especially if you're safe, you need to protect yourself. You know, if you're older, if you've got conditions, et cetera, you've got to protect yourself. I'm not saying don't wear it, I'm not saying it's a bad thing to do. but I just wanna get the freedom back to the people that wanna go and live their lives without it. Let him have that choice. Nothing wrong with wearing it. You can make your decisions. If you're gonna be in a crowded area, put it on. If you feel comfortable take take it off, take it off. But I don't think

1:21:27But that's

1:21:28what

1:21:29it says.

1:21:29I just don't think the numbers as drastic to go to strongly recommend you find. And a business can control it. If the business says, I want you to wear a mask when you come in in, the business can make that statement. It's in her handle. They don't have the mandatory mask mandate, right? But you go shopping up there. You can go find a store that says you have to wear a mask, you have to wear a mask. Let the business control it, not us to control them. I mean, I don't know. It's the land of the free, isn't it?

1:21:52What's the death rate since Ronando was brought up compared to Pasco County of the c active case of the cases that's been nearly double.

1:21:59I checked it just this morning. And their when you take the population rate, all that together, their death rate is nearly double what ours is.

1:22:07So I I think just a reminder too, because I know we have a lot of people in the public watching too, is that there's no mandate for outdoors in Pasco County, like Commissioner Starkey said. So you know, outdoors, whether you're at a gathering that that choice is up to you, up to the people you're with. Um Uh if you're walking, jogging, if you're in a neighborhood barbecue, whatever that's your decision obviously to make. If you're at a restaurant, if you're sitting down, obviously you don't have to wear one or another type of establishment that's not there. Um certain

1:22:38uh businesses too. I I've I personally just to be honest since we're having this conversation that I could tell was two businesses. One we know who it is 'cause he um emails us constantly and um on a regular basis. Um and the other one was a business but um I had to remind him that it was an office and he does they don't have to require that because they're in individual offices. So oh okay, thanks. Didn't know that. So I think just make sure we educate too, making sure we constantly put out the information so for county staff

1:23:08obviously maybe another reminder out there on where and when the currently you know, it's it's uh required to actually have one. Commissioner Starkey.

1:23:19Two things. Um one, I just um texted with my friend John Coors, and I think Commissioner Mariano, you knew know John, and maybe Commissioner Weightman he was the CEO of North Bay. Then he went on to be CEO of a large Hospital down south, and now he's the CEO of Tampa General, which is probably number one hospital in the Tampa Bay Area. He's um And I said, John, keep the mask um ordinance. What's your thoughts? And he said, keep it please. Why would the commission

1:23:49stop the one thing that is actually working and keeping the economy going? It makes no sense. Tell the Commission if they are pro-economy, then they need to help the public make good decisions around public health-related activity. I was on the Open Florida task force and support the Governor's plan But masking social distancing and making good decisions around crowds is critically important to keep our to keeping our economy open and thriving. Um but I would uh but I would

1:24:19agree with what some of the people are saying in that I think where we're falling down is mask hygiene. And so if your office could please Um give us maybe a bullet point of proper mask hygiene. Um I think that's really important for us to get out there 'cause I see it all the time. And I don't have my mask on right now, but I wear my mask on a what's called a mask leash. I actually make 'em. And um I give 'em to my friends. uh so that you're

1:24:50not, you know, grabbing your mask and sticking it in your pocket and then putting it back on. Because why would you want to touch that part? No. So, you know, we we need some some rules on good mask hygiene because we don't want people to get sicker because they're wearing a mask. So I think we are falling down there. So I'd love to uh put that out on my newsletter and get that out.

1:25:11So

1:25:12Thank you.

1:25:13So I mean there's a motion on the floor. Do I d and so I'm calling for a second. Do I have a second?

1:25:18And again I I I wouldn't mind seconding but there's not support and again I I support Mike and his team uh You know. We'll get there.

1:25:27Okay. So I have a motion, no second. So that motion dies. Mr. Chairman Mariano. And then more in discussion by Commissioner Oriano. Just a little bit more. Thank you, sir.

1:25:34And you know, I I and I I want to say I appreciate every one of these board m uh board m board members. We talk about things I like. We have a full discussion. It's good. Mike, I know it's uh lots of information you're looking at and looking at all the dynamics. I'm just, you know, looking at the folks that I talk to, business that I see that I think I need to bring these points out as well. Uh I would like to make one mention. Um one of the sets of masks I think that Eric you might have on and Mike's got on, is that like the two layer set of masks?

1:26:01There's like a cloth layer and then there's a plastic inside or something? That's kind of re replaceable, retractable? Name is not.

1:26:13Right. So that that filter, you've got to make make sure you maintain that. They say that actually can cut your oxygen levels down even higher. It's on the rest of the video that was there, but um Maybe we just want to keep on keep on eye and replacing that. And and one other thought I think it would be good for our uh our staff to go out and do a video. Like Commissioner Starkey said, people walking outside with a mask doesn't make any sense. People sitting in a car by themselves, especially if it's going to reduce your consciousness in your lecture, we need to get a video out there. At least we're going to go through with this. Let's protect our citizens better and give them more information

1:26:43about when to wear it, when not to wear it, and and just protect them that much more.

1:26:47Yeah, I would agree with you. Thank you. That's a great point. Again, I don't want to I'm not knocking anybody. But when I was a little bit more than a little bit of If you're driving down the road in a car by yourself, you there that does not do you any good. You do not need to wear it. I think Mike, you would agree with that. there are certain circumstances like that, you you're you're you're okay. I mean, you know when you're in the car by yourself travel down the street. And I see quite a few of 'em, whether it be here or somewhere else. You don't need to Do that, you know. Take it off and obviously be comfortable. So

1:27:17good good point, Commissioner Mariano. Thank you. Okay. So no more questions. Mr. Nipier, thank you again and thank your team for your time.

1:27:30Thanks for your recipe.

1:27:33Um

1:27:40I have a copy, but we're gonna wait.