8 December 2020 — 1505 mst
Plus, the terrible cost of "natural" herd immunity
Stay healthy, legislators, and don’t infect your constituents
Montana’s legislative chambers were not designed for safety during a pandemic of a highly infectious and lethal disease such as Covid-19. Legislators sit close to each other for hours, more than enough time for the coronavirus to make its way into the airways of almost all legislators not wearing Level 3 or 4 biohazard protection suits.
Rooms in which hearing are held also feature dense pack seating arrangements, especially for people waiting to testify.
There’s no way to make it safe for legislators, staff, reporters, or the public.
At The Western Word, J.M. Brown laid out the consequences of trying to hold a normal legislative session during the CV19 pandemic:
The 2021 session is going to be even more of the circus. This time people will get sick and some will die. It will be a super spreader event because the Republicans are in charge and won’t delay the session and appear they won’t require masks.
As I have written before, the session should be delayed until later in the year.
The Associated Press (AP) reported on a recent joint House and Senate Rules Committee meeting. If this reporting is any indication, some of the Republicans are well on their way to making asses of themselves as well as embarrassing Montana.
I feel sorry for the city of Helena and Lewis and Clark County. Health care workers are already pushed to their limits and many Republicans in the legislature think the pandemic is a big hoax. Shame on them.
A few days ago, I argued that legislators should be among the first to receive the CV19 vaccine. What they do is important, and they have a constitutional responsibility to stay healthy and to conduct themselves in a manner that does not endanger their constituents:
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
ARTICLE II. DECLARATION OF RIGHTS
Section 3. Inalienable rights. All persons are born free and have certain inalienable rights. They include the right to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways. In enjoying these rights, all persons recognize corresponding responsibilities.
Holding the session remotely, probably through Zoom, is an alternative, but a better solution is delaying the session until all legislators are vaccinated and, wearing N95 masks, can meet in person. Even then, live testimony at hearings should be obtained through Zoom so that witnesses are spared the risks of travel and personal appearances.
The terrible cost of "natural" herd immunity
Some legislators apparently believe Montana is on its way to achieving herd immunity through contracting CV19 and surviving it. At a minimum, says epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, a member of President Elect Joe Biden’s CV19 advisory committee, herd immunity requires at least 50–70 percent of the population immunized. Herd immunity normally is acquired through vaccination.
In Montana, 51,135 have recovered from CV19, and 763 have died from it. Reaching a 50 percent immunity level requires more than ten times as many recoveries — and probably would result in ten times as many deaths.
Acquiring herd immunity through surviving the disease is a snare and a delusion. Sweden tried to do it, failed, and switched to conventional CV19 containment measures such as masks, maintaining distances, and reducing close encounters in groups. Montana should not repeat Sweden’s mistake. Our path to herd immunity should be masks, distancing, reducing out of home personal encounters by an order of magnitude, and vaccinating everyone. In the meantime, delay the legislative session.