Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that on Feb. 2 Greene County Public Health Director Kimberly Kaplan made a rare public appearance during the COVID-19 pandemic telling members of the Greene County legislature that wearing masks during a global pandemic of an airborne virus saves human lives. The legislators asked many questions that have long been settled by scientists. Legislator Matthew Luvera, a Republican from Catskill wanted to know about herd immunity “There is always discussion of that, but we aren’t there yet,” Kaplan said. Michael Bulich, another Republican from Catskill, equated COVID-19 to the common cold, while coronavirus causes far more deaths, and has long-term effects. “By definition this is airborne,” Kaplan said to the legislators pushing back on wearing face coverings. “Masking is part of a general layered approach which they said from the beginning… it does afford them some level of protection.” While other leaders and health officials of surrounding counties held public forums and answered questions from citizens during the pandemic, Greene County officials have not held similar public information events. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.