By Adam Marsh The following is a statement read by Holbrook Councilman Adam Marsh at the June 23 Holbrook City Council Meeting. Let me first start by saying that I am not a medical doctor and I am not an epidemiologist. But I have three college degrees including a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology and I have spent a lot of my life studying molecular biology, genetics and organic chemistry. I do not look for information or come to conclusions from what I’m told on cable news. I go directly to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), FDA (Food and Drug Administration), OSHA (Occupation Safety and Health Organization), and other governmental agencies tasked with saving lives, medical experts at institutions like the Mayo Clinic and in so many cases to the peer-reviewed medical literature. As of today (June 23), there have been 461 cases of COVID-19 in Navajo County outside of the Navajo Nation, 3,311 total county cases and 62 total cases in our zip code. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, statewide cases increased by 170 percent and testing only increased by 86 percent. Tuesday’s hospitalizations in the state set a record during this pandemic and 88 percent of the state’s ICU (Intensive Care Unit) beds were occupied, with that number only rising. Dismissing this as issue that is outside of our city is to not recognize how our constituents spend their time traveling across this state and the Navajo Nation for work, caring for relatives, and receiving medical care. I have reached out to our county supervisor and it was made clear that he is not entertaining county-wide action at this time. I am announcing that I will be conferring with the city manager, mayor, and chief of police to propose a temporary fair, safe and common-sense face covering emergency action to decrease the spread of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 in our city. Opposition to this temporary action will claim that this is political, motivated out of fear or that masks don’t work. To those I will only say this for now- there is more than sufficient evidence from labs and medical agencies around the world that shows that face coverings significantly decrease community spread of the novel coronavirus. The novel coronavirus spreads easily by coughing, sneezing, talking and breathing. Cloth face coverings are not meant to filter the virus in or out, they are meant to decelerate viral respiratory droplets from symptomatic and presymptomatic people. My wife and I moved here in 2016 and were embraced by Holbrook’s small-town community. This is personal for me as it is personal for all citizens. She has type 1 diabetes and is immunocompromised, I have Crohn’s disease and I’m immunocompromised. I went through extensive surgery and days in the ICU to be well enough to sit here today. Please, if you would, I’d like you to take a moment to think of your family, your friends, and your neighbors. I’m sure you know someone who is at high risk as well: someone undergoing cancer treatment. Someone who is pregnant or just had babies. Your parent, grandparent or elderly neighbor. Then there are the folks who have high risk of exposure: our community servants, city workers, police, fire rescue, nurses, doctors, Safeway workers, gas station attendants, restaurant workers. Many of these folks have no choice but to risk exposure to this infectious disease. We have to protect these people. We have to protect each other. The people of Holbrook elected the members of the council to lead and I think it is far past time we did that in this pandemic. We are far beyond recommendations and providing information. We should be an example of what it means to be a small town: To be a community that cares. Our neighbors, friends, and family members are getting this disease from those around them and they are suffering if not dying. The governor gave this decision to individual municipal governments and our charter requires the entire council, not the voice of one member, to come to a decision on if or when we ask our constituents to wear a mask. As a city we let the state determine our policy as the pandemic unfolded. I understand the desire to keep the economy open and to avoid stay at home orders. Now it’s clear that the state’s policy is not effective at decreasing community spread of the virus in our own city. Now that things are open, a temporary mask action is a logical middle ground for those that want to keep the economy open but also decrease the spread of the virus. Will there be people who resist such a temporary emergency action? Of course. But my hope is that by taking action the people of Holbrook understand that we as a city take this seriously and that this is a simple and effective way to care for one another. If there was even a chance that wearing a mask for the 45 minutes it takes to go to the grocery store would save even one life, don’t you think that’s worth it? We are called to be compassionate and kind to one another, to love one another. A face mask is such a simple way to tell your fellow citizens that you care for them. After I have consulted with the city manager, mayor and police chief, I will request a special meeting of this council where we can have a discussion surrounding the facts, ramifications and potential action that our city needs to take to protect the lives of our citizens and their livelihoods. It is time that we be leaders both in our town and in northern Arizona. It is time that we make a difficult, uncomfortable decision that will save lives. I encourage you to reach out to a city council member and let us hear your voice. Adam