General Discussion

I wonder why? Maybe I'll just turn some water into wine and puzzle it over.

Ok kidding aside, and much love to all our christian membership. I've found medical decisions to be the most personal decisions, at a level even beyond political and religious ones. If you've ever made basic health suggestions to someone you know just what I'm talking about. Doctors frequently express frustration with patients not making extremely basic lifestyle changes as recommended (hence why they always fall back to pill prescriptions and surgery). People want others to change, but not to perform any change themselves.

So yes, that's why mandates have to be on the table. There simply isn't a way to convince people of some things. We trust the science which is demonstrably factual; they are enraptured in fantastical group-think (or mass formation psychosis if you're playing buzzword of the week). We have a Democracy and law enforcement for just these sorts of public health "conundrums". We either use those resources or the pandemic will slowly kill us all.

Our sisters in the five eyes have shown us the way (Australia, Canada, NZ, GB). We have only to follow.