REACHING PAST THE WORKPLACE

            A registered nurse in Colorado sent me a memo received from the Department of Regulatory Agencies prior to Labor Day.  Here is the pertinent portion:

 We continue to urge you to adhere to the orders issued by Governor Polis and the health experts at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), including continued compliance with the statewide mask ordinance and social distancing requirements. Please take a moment to visit both the Safer at Home website for industry-specific information, and DORA’s COVID-19 Updates for Licensees and Consumers page for information pertaining to specific DORA-regulated programs and professions.

 Please know that if you violate current public health orders, depending on the nature of the violation, regulatory action may be taken against your license.

             In other words, the state now assumes it has the right and authority to reach past the workplace, into your home, your church, your birthday party, and cancel your RN license if you're found not wearing a face mask or social distancing.

             This is not about drunk driving, drug use, or pedophilia jeopardizing your license to practice.  It's face masking and never hugging anyone.

             What kind of culture or civilization makes these kinds of demands on people?  They're already checking temperature (we know that Covid-19 is not virulent unless you have significantly elevated temperature).  Those precautions are now entrenched before you can enter a facility.  Why do they need to keep you from hugging your child at a birthday party?

                         Do you think this is necessary to keep us safe?