Meanwhile in Florida…County Commissioner Who Voted Against Masks Admitted to Hospital for COVID-19, Set to Pen Updated Version of ‘Isn’t it Ironic’

It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Listen, we’re not here to say “we told you so,” but these stories just keep happening and they are going to continue to happen until someone (say, the leader of our nation, for instance) acknowledges that COVID-19 isn’t something that can just be swept under the rug and ignored until it goes away.

Unfortunately, sometimes it takes extreme circumstances to change people’s minds. In the case of Paul Waldron, the commissioner for St. Johns County in Jacksonville, Florida, it took his own battle with the virus to, perhaps, change his mind on the necessity of wearing a mask in public. Waldron was recently admitted to a local hospital and has tested positive for COVID-19. This came about just a week after Waldron voted against a countywide order that would require all residents to wear face masks in order to stop the spread of the virus.

Waldron’s daughter took to Facebook after he was admitted to the hospital and wrote that he was in the “most critical of conditions,” and that because of “complications from the virus, he went into septic shock and many organs are struggling.”

And, honestly, this sucks. It sucks that this guy is battling for his life. And it sucks that thousands upon thousands of Americans are doing the very same thing, either out of ignorance, pride, or gross neglect from our nation’s supposed leaders. It doesn’t have to be this way. In a perfect world or, like, literally everywhere except America, the leaders in charge would have given good advice, we the people would have listened, and thousands of lives would have been saved. Unfortunately, that is not our reality. Our reality is full of petulant children crying and shouting from the rooftops that they “don’t want to be told what to do.” Fine. Do what you want. You have the “freedom” to do what you please. But, as any child can attest, there are things called “natural consequences.” If you climb a tree despite your parents’ warnings, and then fall from said tree and break your arm, that is a natural consequence. Similarly, if you don’t wear a face mask to protect yourself (and others) from an airborne disease, and then contract that disease, that is also a natural consequence. We feel terribly for Commissioner Waldron and we wish him, and everybody afflicted with COVID-19 a speedy, full recovery.

But like, we did tell you so.

Cover Photo: Peter Willott/The Record

I, robot: Scientists Create Robot That Can Disinfect a Warehouse in 30 Minutes, Disinfecting Planet of Humans Next on To-Do List

DIY: 12 Borderline Inappropriate (If They Weren’t Helping to Save Lives) Masks Popping Up During Public Lockdown

Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.