The great debate of 2020 has been “To Mask, Or Not To Mask” and among all the online arguing I have seen a LOT of misconception that has angered, annoyed, and, quite frankly, horrified me. So I wanted to touch on the two biggest anti-mask arguments based on misinformation people seem to believe about masks. I know that it is unlikely that this information is seen or absorbed by anti-mask people but at least I know I put it out there.
- The mask won’t stop you from getting the virus. This argument stems from the belief that you wear a mask to stop you from inhaling the virus. No. The point of the mask is not to stop inhalation of the virus, but to stop you from spreading the virus via your saliva and what not. Wearing the mask allows you to keep your nasty germs to yourself.
- Why are the idiots wearing their masks when they’re alone in their car!? Because once you touch your mask, it’s contaminated. You can’t put your mask on, take it off and then put it back on. So if you’re out running errands and you’re wearing a mask, you need to leave the mask on until you are finished and can safely remove it.
If you’re not going to wear a mask, at least be respectful enough to keep a 6 foot distance from people.You don’t know who out there is high risk or is going home to take care of someone who is high risk.
Now I want to touch on some of the things I’ve seen being done by mask-wearers that has also angered, annoyed, and quite frankly, horrified me.
- When you’re wearing a mask it should cover both your mouth and your nose.
- Once you touch the mask it is contaminated. If you are running multiple errands at a time, you can not remove the mask between destinations and then put it back on.
- You can not reuse a disposable mask.
- If you are using a reusable mask it should be washed between use.
- If you are wearing your mask, your neck is exposed. Then when you pull your mask down to your neck, you are exposing it to possible contamination from your neck. So guess what you’re doing when you pull it back up to your face…
If you can’t use your mask properly, it completely defeats the purpose.
But most importantly, be kind and respectful to each other out there.
See Alberta.ca for more on proper mask usage
– Kelsey
