Thirty years ago, second-hand smoke became a safety concern. Today, smoking is not permitted in almost all gathering places — restaurants, retail, most hotels rooms, offices, airports, airplanes, medical, government, manufacturing and even large outdoor arenas.

The purpose is not to protect the smoker. The purpose is to protect others.

Many health-minded people, who would never smoke or harm others, oppose masks.

Every day, COVID-19 is infecting more than 50,000 people — the population of every municipality in Rowan County.

Both smoking and COVID-19 are public health issues. Protecting the public from smokers in public places is not a political issue. Protecting the public by asking people to wear masks is. I just don’t get it.

— David Post

Salisbury