To Wear A Face Mask Or Not?
- jim Young 20200507
“Who was that masked man?” - President Ulysses S. Grant in the movie “The Legend Of The Lone Ranger” (1981)
Under normal circumstances I am not a big believer in the use of hand sanitizers (see Are Hand Sanitizers Weakening Our Immune System?) or any methods of isolation, self imposed or otherwise, intended to keep us germ free on a daily basis.
But these are not normal circumstances and until the world returns to some kind of normalcy, whatever that may be, exceptions need to be made.
The coronavirus pandemic that has brought the world to its knees has created both confusion and dissension among friends and neighbours with varying opinions on how to best battle Covid-19.
One of these battles involves the use of face masks worn in public.
Social Media is littered with memes encouraging the use of face masks.
Many, however, resist this method of protection and I suspect much of it has more to do with vanity than anything else, although some people would just rather risk spreading Covid-19 than be subjected to the discomfort of wearing a face mask in public for a few hours.
More claims, such as the following are appearing in social media in an attempt to counteract the memes promoting the use of face masks.
(To be clear, I have not been able to find any official statement from Simcoe County supporting this theory.*)
I say, “Why not do both? Wear a face mask AND wash your hands? Hell - do it ALL - wear a face mask, wash your hands AND commit to all the other recommended practices.”
There is a lot of conversation about whether the face mask is for the individual’s protection or the user’s protection. What difference does it make? Isn’t preventing the spread of Covid-19 protecting us ALL in the long run?
Of course the mask should be worn properly, but improper usage should not be a justification for giving up on the mask. Your time would be better spent trying to educate the public on proper usage than trying to discredit it all together.
The way I see it - what harm can it do to wear a face mask?
It’s not like this is being offered as a permanent solution. Let’s just all be as safe as we can until we get this all figured out.
Personally I wear a face mask, not just for the protection of myself and the people I come into contact with, but to make a statement.
When I go out in public I know I am going to run into two kinds of people. Those who are taking the Covid-19 threat seriously and those who are not.
Wearing a face mask is a clear visual indication of which group I am in. Those, like me, whether they are likewise wearing a face mask or not, will instantly know that I am willing to comply with the rules in place and respect their boundaries.
To those that are not taking the threat seriously I am making another very clear, visual statement. “Back Off and stay out of my space.”
- 30 -
* NOTE: I sent an email to Simcoe.ca inquiring about the use of face masks. They responded with this link to the Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit.
While the limitations of the face mask are duly noted, nowhere do they suggest that face masks should not be worn in public.
There is more information on face masks than is shown in this illustration. I highly recommend you click on the link and read it in its entirety.
“Who was that masked man?” - President Ulysses S. Grant in the movie “The Legend Of The Lone Ranger” (1981)
Under normal circumstances I am not a big believer in the use of hand sanitizers (see Are Hand Sanitizers Weakening Our Immune System?) or any methods of isolation, self imposed or otherwise, intended to keep us germ free on a daily basis.
But these are not normal circumstances and until the world returns to some kind of normalcy, whatever that may be, exceptions need to be made.The coronavirus pandemic that has brought the world to its knees has created both confusion and dissension among friends and neighbours with varying opinions on how to best battle Covid-19.
One of these battles involves the use of face masks worn in public.
Social Media is littered with memes encouraging the use of face masks.
Many, however, resist this method of protection and I suspect much of it has more to do with vanity than anything else, although some people would just rather risk spreading Covid-19 than be subjected to the discomfort of wearing a face mask in public for a few hours.
More claims, such as the following are appearing in social media in an attempt to counteract the memes promoting the use of face masks.
(To be clear, I have not been able to find any official statement from Simcoe County supporting this theory.*)
I say, “Why not do both? Wear a face mask AND wash your hands? Hell - do it ALL - wear a face mask, wash your hands AND commit to all the other recommended practices.”
There is a lot of conversation about whether the face mask is for the individual’s protection or the user’s protection. What difference does it make? Isn’t preventing the spread of Covid-19 protecting us ALL in the long run?
Of course the mask should be worn properly, but improper usage should not be a justification for giving up on the mask. Your time would be better spent trying to educate the public on proper usage than trying to discredit it all together.
The way I see it - what harm can it do to wear a face mask?
It’s not like this is being offered as a permanent solution. Let’s just all be as safe as we can until we get this all figured out.
Personally I wear a face mask, not just for the protection of myself and the people I come into contact with, but to make a statement.
When I go out in public I know I am going to run into two kinds of people. Those who are taking the Covid-19 threat seriously and those who are not.
Wearing a face mask is a clear visual indication of which group I am in. Those, like me, whether they are likewise wearing a face mask or not, will instantly know that I am willing to comply with the rules in place and respect their boundaries.
To those that are not taking the threat seriously I am making another very clear, visual statement. “Back Off and stay out of my space.”
- 30 -
* NOTE: I sent an email to Simcoe.ca inquiring about the use of face masks. They responded with this link to the Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit.
While the limitations of the face mask are duly noted, nowhere do they suggest that face masks should not be worn in public.
There is more information on face masks than is shown in this illustration. I highly recommend you click on the link and read it in its entirety.
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