For Submission to the Board of Alderman May 25, 2021
Re: Mask Mandate
Good evening.
My name is Dr. Stephanie Wolf-Rosenblum, and | reside at 47 Berkeley Street. | have been a member of the
Nashua Medical Community for the last 33 years, and | am currently a member of the Board of Health.
| appreciate this opportunity to submit a statement relative to the ordinance being introduced this evening to
repeal the face covering requirements, an ordinance that was crafted and submitted prior to last week’s Board
of Health vote to recommend that the Nashua mask mandate be lifted.
Last year, the Board of Alderman made a difficult but informed choice to require masks in our city in order to
protect the citizens of our community. This was based on a number of scientific facts that have held up under
scrutiny over the last year:
e Covid-19 is highly transmissible though the air via droplets and airborne particles that are expelled from
people’s noses and mouths when they talk, yell or sing
e A high proportion of those carrying this virus never become sick from the virus and others only come
down with the illness after days or even weeks, meaning that “superspreaders” may interact with many
individuals without realizing that they are spreading this disease.
e That social distancing and properly worn masks are important public health measures that prevent
droplets and particles from reaching and infecting others.
e That Covid-19 can be cause long term disability and death at much higher rates than other viruses.
At the time that this mask mandate was put in place, there were no good medical therapies and no protective
vaccinations. Through the Public Health measure of the mask mandate, the Board of Alderman saved lives.
Since the ordinance was put in place, we know much more about Covid-19, but all of the above still are true.
Some statistics:
@ Inthe U.S. in 2019, influenza led to illness in 39 - 56 million people and killed 24-62,000.
e In the last year, Covid-19 caused illness in 33 million people and has caused more than 580,000 deaths
in the U.S. alone.
e According to a recent study from Washington University published in the journal nature, there is an 8%
increased mortality after survival of infection, including those who were asymptomatic but are found to
have been infected.
e Inarecent siudy, there was a 7-fold increase in strokes in young people this past year; in ~40% of
these individuals, stroke was the presenting symptom of Covid-19
e “Long haul covid” can affect every organ in the body; studies from around the world suggest that the
majority of those sick enough to be hospitalized with Covid-19 have symptoms lasting weeks to
months, especially fatigue, weakness and memory problems.
