Note from Pickens Mayor Fletcher Perry: At our last city council meeting, it was a consensus from members of council and seven voices from the community who felt that mandatory mask wear should not be mandated by the city. From that discussion, a committee was formed that included members of the medical community. I have asked each member to share their perspective concerning these times of uncertainty and the subject of the mask.

As the medical scientists are trying to learn more about the coronavirus, including how to create a vaccine and better ways to treat those infected, we are faced with a community dilemma. I think of it as “freedom vs. responsibility.” On the one hand, we value our freedom and ability to decide for ourselves how to lead our lives. This allows us to determine what risks we want to take, like smoking, riding a motorcycle without a helmet or eating junk food. But on the other hand, with freedom comes responsibility. Our responsibility for each other means we obey traffic laws, we don’t endanger others with our choices and we care enough to bend our desire to keep others from being harmed.

Although there is still a lot we don’t know about this virus, there are many things that have been

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