Texas here. I wear it religiously. Nary a comment or a hard look.
I don’t understand this. Are you hoping to cut this virus short? I know I’d love for the economy to get going again, get people back at work, and, most importantly, stop people from dying, so I’m doing what I can to protect myself and others. In part, that means wearing a mask when I’m inside public places and when I otherwise cannot social distance. I mean, you know that’s the right thing to do. If others don’t do it, who knows why they are ignorant of the science, but you’re aware that it’s the right path. Why aren’t you following it?
Why? In these times, the inability to wear a mask is essentially a disability. Disabled people just can’t do certain things – try being in a wheelchair in the NYC subways, for example. Blind people don’t have complete freedom of movement. In terms of your wife’s specific disability, for example, there are certain jobs she couldn’t take – she couldn’t work in any medical profession, she couldn’t be a firefighter, she couldn’t have many army, navy, or air force jobs, she couldn’t be a dentist or dental assistant. I’m sure there are more I’m not thinking of. Given her disability, she should do the responsible thing and not go places where she would need a mask. This isn’t rocket science.
She may even have the disease asymptomatically and could be spreading it by not wearing a mask. If there were a chance she had smallpox, leprosy, or even measles, I’m sure she wouldn’t go willy-nilly among the general public. Why is she doing it now?
Nice! You’re welcome to it.
Unless it’s an N95 mask the mask wearer is not protected.
I had just left a grocery store where I was masked and after I put my groceries in the car and was about to leave I remembered that I had forgotten something. I then forgot to put my mask on before going back into the store. The greeter reminded politely reminded me that masks were required and offered me one (Texas). I thanked him, put the mask on, and continued on my way.
So what Omar_Little said. Polite and well behaved people don’t make for interesting news.
I never said you were protecting yourself. I said you’re helping stop the spread of the disease by doing the right thing.
I thought this was a country that valued personal responsibility, but I guess I had that wrong all along.
This has been discussed extensively in other threads, so it’s probably best not to make this thread about why masks are a good idea. But, briefly:
- It is possible to be infectious without knowing you’re infected. If you wear a mask, you’re much less likely to spread the infection to others.
- From what I’ve seen, there is some evidence that even a basic cloth mask provides some protection to the wearer (i.e. that it’s better than nothing).
- In areas/countries where everyone consistently wears masks in public, the infection seems to be much more under control than in areas where this is not the case.
I’ve heard rude comments for not wearing one (I forgot t put it on but it was in a wide open space in the park) and for wearing one (in a closed space where it was required by state and municipal orders and facility policy with signs everywhere). You cannot win.
Well, maybe you can explain why you’re not taking the simple step of wearing a mask when you should. I’m baffled – it will help the economy, get people back to work and back to school, and save lives. I really don’t understand why you wouldn’t take the simple step of wearing a mask inside, even if the store doesn’t require it. Honestly asking, can you help me out here?
FREEDUMB!! is the rallying cry of the mask less.
same.
Once again, with feeling.
They keep asking so I keep linking.
And I thank you for-you’re fighting ignorance with the best of them!
Loved your link the first time you offered it. Sent it on to my adult kids, they are still snickering. One of them (the physician) threatens to make it into business cards to hand out, he’s so tired of trying to explain the concept to people who deep down don’t want to get it.
Here on Long Island absolutely nobody has given me any grief over wearing a mask, and while I’m at it I get thanked for veering off the sidewalk and out into the road when outdoors and unmasked if someone’s approaching, so that they don’t have to walk through the air I’ve exhaled into. Nor have I seen anyone else get any pushback.
In the other direction I have not as of yet received any hostility when I’m out walking outdoors for not being masked. Some people do, some don’t; I’ve seen bicyclists riding masked, riding unmasked; I’ve seen pedestrians wearing masks and not. Also lots of people with them on, but down, available to be pulled up as needed. I’ve seen people driving cars, by themselves, masks up.
The closest thing to hostility has been towards people going into public indoor spaces without masks. I wish there was more of that hostility. The general attitude though at least here in the suburbs seems to be “this is rough enough, let’s not second-guess each other”. I’ve only seen people inside stores unmasked a couple times so far.
No hostility from wearing a mask. The people I see not wearing masks are obviously flouting the mandate - an entire family group, a 20-ish dude with a mask hanging from one ear, etc. They just get the stinkeye from people around.
My view is for everybody to behave act as though we’re all potentially infected - because essentially, that’s accurate. Therefore, I stay isolated or distanced unless I absolutely have to go inside a shop, then wear a mask and leave quickly. If I could not wear a mask for medical reasons, I would not put myself in the airspace of other people.
If you can’t/don’t wear a mask, stay away. Typhoid Mary didn’t get a free pass, why should anyone else?
Also, if you’re medically unable to wear a mask, you’re probably medically at-risk if you catch the disease. So why go to places where you could catch it?
And anybody can wear a face shield, ineffective as they may end up being.
I live in suburban North Carolina and when I go out to the grocery, everyone is wearing their masks. I see the occasional person wearing it improperly, with the nose exposed but most people are being pretty good. I haven’t seen any confrontations or anyone looking for one.
I’m still wearing the “good” masks - I have R95 industrial masks with carbon filters. They are pretty thick and I will get short of breath if I have to exert myself, like the day I bought a bunch of 50 pound bags of sand from Home Depot.
In theory my masks have the same virus protection s the N95s. The rest of my family is using the lightweight blue surgical masks because they are more comfortable but I decided if I’m going to wear one, I’m wearing the one that protects me as well.
Plus one to this. That was the point I was trying to make up above.
I saw a sign at a restaurant (on facebook, but it appeared to be real) that said “Everyone must wear a mask while inside. If you have a medical condition that prevents you from wearing one, you probably shouldn’t be at a restaurant”.
City by City and now our whole state has a mask mandate. I don’t mind it at all. I’ve got a bunch in my car and some at work (I work retail) and now with the mandate, instead of us looking like assholes, now we can rely on the mandate when we deny entrance to anyone not wearing a mask (who, for whatever reason, doesn’t just say ‘uh, I have [random illness]’. Jackass move, but not a whole lot we can do about it.
Luckily, at this point, the only people that aren’t wearing them (but don’t have any medical restrictions) are doing it for political reasons so they tend to throw a hissy fit and we can explain that they can either wear a mask or leave. We probably get 5-10 people a day come in without one and maybe one person chooses to leave instead of wearing one.
When we started requiring customers, I was waiting for the yelling and spitting and swearing and cameras getting pulled out, but there’s not been any of that. I think the videos we see in the internet about the extent of it.