Our View: Do public a favor and wear a mask

The film“Jaws” is a cinematic marvel based on the bestselling book by Peter Benchley. It became a blockbuster summer movie, a classic thriller and it settled Steven Spielberg as one of the industry’s great movie directors.

The hit came out in 1975, 45 years ago this summer. Many of us remember the movie and how it scared some people out of the water for fear of shark attacks. Others remember some of the kitchy tie-in promotional items, or the ominous “da-dum” music.

We are revisiting the theme of “Jaws” in today’s world. The film was set in a small resort town that depended on tourism for its economic survival. When the shark first attacked a lone swimmer in the middle of the night, many of the locals — including the mayor — downplayed the risk. Even the local medical expert, the town’s coroner, was willing to publicly state that the swimmer died from a boating accident and not from shark attack. He was swayed by local business leaders who were afraid news of shark attack would scare away tourists and be a financial disaster.

Of course, the monster shark struck again, and the townspeople were forced to admit a deadly shark was in their local waters. Still, wishful thinking convinced many that the shark was done eating swimmers, had moved on, and the town would be safe after fishermen caught a shark. Neighbors were pitted against neighbors: one side convinced shutting down the beaches was essential to ensure public safety, the other stressing that ruining the local economy over a threat that may not even strike again was foolish.

Does this sound familiar?

We live in similar times. There’s no easy answer, from people refusing to acknowledge the threat COVID-19 may have on our society, to people willing to close everything down until the threat is over, and every opinion in between.

We are hopeful the COVID-19 virus doesn’t become a serious crisis in Carlton County. We wish it would just “die out,” and life could return to normal. But we acknowledge that we just don’t know enough about the virus yet. It’s been affecting humans for only 6-10 months, and the medical advice has been evolving over that time period as scientists learn more.

But there is no denying that we need to cooperate in preventing the spread. Don’t host big parties. Wash your hands. Maintain social distancing as much as possible.

And please wear your mask when out in public. If it turns out masks do nothing, we’ll apologize. But if it turns out masks keep the virus from spreading, the harm averted is worth the trouble. Wear a mask. Please.