Safety First

It is confusing to me why anyone would reject wearing a simple mask to protect themselves from a virus that largely enters the body via the mouth/nose.

Especially when the objections are largely about body autonomy - of the 'you can't make me' variety.

Um, yeah, about that.

Cigarette smoking is now regulated because of health/safety reasons.  I well remember working at jobs where I was one of the few non-smokers in the place - how my clothing would stink when I got home, how my nose would run, the sinus headaches I would have - all because I'm allergic to smoke.  Airplane journeys were terrible with the majority of people smoking in the confined space and recirculated air.

Seat belts became a requirement after I had my first car.   When we bought our first brand new car with three point retractable seat belts in 1970 they still were not required.  It was our choice to buy a car with that safety feature (we'd just had our car totalled in an accident and safety was high on our minds.)

When Doug worked at the pulp mill he was required to purchase safety toe boots - and wear them at work.  Throughout his work life he routinely had to wear safety gear.

Numerous occupations have safety rules and regulations - high viz vests, hard hats, respirators, chain mail gloves, safety guards on equipment - the list goes on.

So why the fuss about wearing a mask now?

Female students are routinely sent home for violating dress codes (for being too distracting to the boys) so why can't schools mandate mask wearing? 

I don't get it. 

I live in a home that has been built according to safety regulations of my province, using electricity that has been installed using safety features such as grounded wires, drink water that has been treated to be safe to drink - straight out of the tap.  I drive on streets with lines on to indicate where my lane is, I signal turns and lane changes and use daylight running lights (have done since 1974 when I worked at the telephone company.  They had done a fleet study mandating some of the fleet use their headlights during the day and comparing rate of accidents to those that didn't.  It was overwhelmingly obvious that their fleet using headlights had fewer accidents than those that didn't.  It became company wide policy for every person driving a company vehicle to use headlights during the day.  In 1974.)

I receive health care from professionals who are regulated as to their education and best practices.

At every turn, I am protected by rules and regulations.

For those who complain they can't breathe, you might be wearing a mask that doesn't fit well.  There are various styles around, some with more space in front of nose/mouth.  (See the 'plague masks' they used to wear during the bubonic plague for extreme examples) 

For those who say you breathe in your own carbon monoxide - first of all you don't breathe out monoxide, secondly the mask is porous enough that your exhaled breath goes out and air comes in on your next intake of breath.  That's how masks work.  They filter out any droplets in the air you breathe in.  They prevent any droplets you exhale from exiting the masks.

Medical professionals wear masks all day and don't suffer from hypoxia so wearing a paper or cloth mask for a few minutes while you get your shopping is a small price to pay to avoid a ventilator. 

The virus doesn't care if you believe in it or not.  It will infect you if it enters your body.  Best way to avoid it is to avoid groups of people - because you don't know if they are positive for Covid-19.  They may not be aware that they are spreading the virus because they may not know they encountered someone who was positive.

Stay home if you possibly can (I know not everyone is able to).  If you must go out, wear a mask.  Try to maintain six feet distance between you and other people.  Use hand sanitizer if you have multiple errands to run.  Wash your hands when you get home.  Wash a fabric mask, using hot water and soap. 

Stay safe, everyone, until it is safe to meet in real life.