Six Great Reasons to Don a Mask Every Day

Funny how something millions love to wear at Halloween is an incredibly divisive adornment now. And it’s not even made of rubber. Nor does it cover our eyes (necessarily). And it doesn’t suffer from the exorbitant markup cost seen at Halloween City.

Wearing facial coverings as a method of slowing the spread of COVID-19 has been meet with much scrutiny and criticism:

Masks don’t work.

A mask ordinance is a violation of my rights.

You’re a sheep if you wear a mask!!!

No, wearing facial coverings were not recommended during the initial surge of COVID. This is in part because people were being asked instead to socially distance/stay at home and not interact with others outside their homes. Also, masks were in short supply at that time and needed to be diverted to health care workers. And there wasn’t enough evidence to support the use of masks as a modality to “flatten the curve.”

Now, we know more.

But no matter, say a very vocal part of the population. They can’t even be swayed to don a mask for the sake of others around them. It seems that’s not enough of a reason.

Yes, I wear a mask. So do my kids. And what’s interesting is that these three teenagers have given Dad and I no blowback whatsoever about putting on face masks on the infrequent times we go out in public. So if teenagers can do this, so can the rest of us.

So if wearing a mask for those “faceless” others isn’t enough of a reason (c’mon, they’re not actually faceless, they’re just wearing masks…), maybe bringing the idea closer to home will. I wear a mask because:

1. I am part of a community. Healthy communities are viable communities.
2. I wear a mask because of who I associate with. Specifically my husband, a healthcare worker. He is at risk of contracting COVID-19 because of the nature of his job and could bring the virus home to his family. I wear a mask in case I am an asymptomatic carrier.
3. I wear a mask for my kids, and my kids wear masks, too. One of my sons has a history of lung infections, namely both pneumonia and influenza and he was quite sick. I worry he could be especially susceptible to the adverse effects of novel coronavirus, so we wear masks in public.
4. I wear a mask so we can get sh*t done. If my family aren’t healthy and become ill with COVID-19 (or a cold or flu or any other illness with similar symptoms), we can’t go to the doctor. Or the dentist. Or get wisdom teeth removed before those erupting teeth botch the orthodontia. Health maintenance gets delayed if we are sick.
5. I wear a mask for my kids. No, this is not a typo. Not only do I wear a mask for the physical health of my family, I wear one for their mental health as well. Kicking COVID’s heinie means my kids can go back to school, see their friends, and enjoy their extracurriculars. They need an in-person education and the time with their peers during this highly formative stage in their lives. These typical rituals of growing up will be in a tailspin for a very long time unless we abide by the science and the advice of those have devoted their lives to the character and effect of disease. So I wear a mask so my kids can have a teen-hood.
6. I wear a mask for my parents, my kids’ grandparents. And everyone else’s, too. We have not seen our families for eight months and counting, because of the global pandemic. While we are in no danger of infecting them from a thousand miles away, I still wear a mask as a nod to the fact they are in a high-risk group. I mask-up for other people’s families and hope they will mask up for mine.

Change is hard. We humans are not programmed to adapt well; we are creatures of habit. But with the small, simple effort of covering our noses and mouths when we leave the house, we respect our families, friends, communities…and ourselves.

It’s so little to ask.

Pretend every day is Halloween.

Just put on a mask.