Coronavirus—a word that you, like most Americans, are probably tired of reading about. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every aspect of our daily lives, from changing the way we work and attend school, to shutting down non-essential businesses across the country. Perhaps the biggest way in which the pandemic has affected our lives is the strong suggestion by medical professionals for citizens to wear facial coverings such as masks or scarves to protect themselves and others from the spread of the coronavirus.
To wear or not wear a mask has become a hot topic of debate in recent months, with videos popping up all over social media of irate customers refusing to wear masks while shopping. The dramatic videos captured of these people have become a striking representation for one side of the mask debate: the anti-maskers. I live in a small, Alabama town and have met many anti-maskers with seemingly endless excuses for why they refuse to wear any facial coverings, from genuinely believing that their religion will protect them from a pandemic, to fearing that mask mandates would violate their constitutional rights.
Now, before I dive into the debate on why the potential justifications for not wearing a mask are far inferior to the risks associated with not wearing one, I must make a short disclaimer: I have been on both sides of the mask debate. I am not proud of this, but I am grateful for the unique perspective that my early ignorance has granted me.
The justification for not wearing a mask that I, and so many others in my county have used, is based solely in ignorance. The phrase “ignorance is bliss” is an adequate way to describe the reasoning behind people going out in public without face masks. Prior to being educated, I believed that because I live in such a small, rural county that is barely a blip on the state of Alabama, I would be immune to contracting coronavirus. My bubble was burst when my county became a coronavirus hotspot, classified as a high-risk area. The fear I felt after receiving that news was overwhelming. Suddenly, the coronavirus was not some far off, foreign problem. The threat was local, and it had finally become my problem. I live with my grandfather who just celebrated his 75th birthday, and after being properly educated on how wearing a mask can be somewhere around 70% effective in preventing the transmission of the virus, I could not bear the thought of potentially being the reason that my grandfather did not live to see his 76th birthday. So, I started wearing a mask because I put my ignorance aside and was willing to allow someone to educate me on the bigger picture: wearing a mask or not does not just affect you. Whether it is your grandfather or a stranger, not wearing a mask could literally be a matter of life or death for someone else.
The second most common justification that I have heard within my community for not wearing a mask is that it is no longer a public safety issue, but a political issue. I can see why people might think this way — political leaders have only recently started wearing masks when making public appearances. If those in charge do not think wearing a mask is necessary, why would the average citizen? My response to this question would be that our political leaders decided to put their lives and the lives of American citizens on the line. This “political issue” is more of an issue of morality. Having been educated on the risks of not wearing a mask in public, these local, state, and federal leaders made their choice. The only “political” aspect of the mask-wearing debate is that those in power decided not to wear a mask. Now, American citizens must choose to either follow their lead and potentially become infected or infect someone else, or put politics and ignorance aside and learn to live with this minor inconvenience.
The only way to stop having to read about the coronavirus is to eradicate the threat by listening to experts and wearing a mask when in public spaces.
