What a change a day makes. I went into Safeway a day before the recent state order to wear masks in stores, and only about 10% of shoppers wore one. I went in a day later and everyone was. It was reassuring to see that residents of Wallowa County will comply with public safety directives, even if we all don’t agree with them.

A few days later, I was at another (unnamed) store, and noticed a few people without masks. Among them was one of our Wallowa County commissioners. I could easily frame this as a microcosm of our national leadership deficit on COVID-19, but I hope this was just a forgetful moment. Technically, it was also a Class C misdemeanor. Legalities aside, it should be clear that elected officials and other leaders have an elevated responsibility in these uncertain times to model behavior that will keep us all safe.

Robert Kemp

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