…and that right there is why masking, at least in certain circumstances, should become a permanent feature of our society. Lots of people don’t realize that in North America, we virtually wiped out influenza for two years running, even with half-assed masking and social distancing we did in a lot of places. Any other year, and that would have been a major feel-good news story.
Should you mask all the time? No, probably not, unless you’re like the CostCo employee you mention, who is in close contact with a huge number of people every day of the year. But during cold and flu season? Or whenever you hear of a COVID upsurge in your area? Sure, you should mask then, especially when you’re going to be in close proximity to a lot of people you don’t know, like on a bus or something.
No one is going to force you to do this, but even you recognize the value, so why not do it just because it’s a good idea?