WASHINGTON, Mo. — In August, local officials in this small city an hour west of St. Louis voted against requiring residents to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
On Nov. 23, with COVID-19 cases surging and the local hospital overflowing, the City Council brought a mask order back for another vote. As protesters marched outside, Councilman Nick Obermark, an electrician, was the sole member of the nonpartisan council to change his vote, causing the mandate to pass.
One of his many reasons? He has a child the same age as Washington Middle School student Peyton Baumgarth, 13, who on Halloween became the youngest person in Missouri to die of COVID-19 complications.
“That hit pretty hard,” Obermark said later. Though the councilman doesn’t like wearing a mask, he said it’s worth it if we can keep one or two people from getting COVID-19.
Washington became the latest community to flip its stance on masks and other restrictions while the coronavirus ravages the country.
As America enters a dark winter without national directives to curb the pandemic, numerous cities, counties and states must decide: enact more restrictions now or leave people to their own will? Some in this tightknit city of 14,000 have discovered that the answer — and the key to changing hearts and minds — lies in how close and real the danger seems.
After a spate of nursing home fatalities early on in Franklin County, where Washington is located, two months this summer passed without a death from COVID. Some residents saw the virus as a big-city problem and rejected preventive measures.
Families attended weddings with hundreds of guests. Downtown merchants held “Thirsty Thursday,” with participants mingling over drinks. Even as officials at the city’s hospital urged COVID-19 restrictions, 356 people signed a letter to the local paper vowing their opposition to being “forced to cover our mouths in public.”
Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has declined to enact a statewide mask mandate.
Embracing freedom and tradition is as expected here as following deer hunting season or attending the Washington Town & Country Fair. The city’s downtown, within view of the swirling brown Missouri River, is lined with historical red-brick buildings and quaint shops. The Missouri Meerschaum Co. still produces corn cob pipes on Front Street. Its motto: “Over 150 Years & Still Smokin’.”
In the months before the election, yards sprouted signs for President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the threat of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
But the virus crept closer in September when 74-year-old Ralph Struckhoff died of the disease. The Missourian newspaper published a story describing him as a healthy man who had just done a day of construction work at his church before he fell ill. “Please wear a mask in memory of Ralph,” his widow, Jayne Struckhoff, wrote in a letter to the editor. “If this virus can take Ralph, it can take down anyone.”
Some locals began asking: What would it take for this town to change?
In November, Mayor Sandy Lucy noticed that attitudes were evolving. That’s when residents heard about Peyton, the middle schooler, who declined rapidly and died days after being admitted to the hospital. According to his obituary, he was known for his love of Pokemon Go, flag football and the St. Louis Blues. “He loved his puppies Yadi and Louie who will be lost without their buddy,” it said. “He loved listening to music and singing in the school choir.”
“Suddenly there was a death of a 13-year-old,” Lucy said, “and you think, maybe this virus is more vicious than I give it credit for being.”
