I liked Patti Lisenbee’s recent letter – masks work. I think the message is wrong, though. Her point: “the best reason to wear a mask is that it prevents large amounts of saliva … (from getting onto) you.” In fact, for that to happen, you would need a full set of protective equipment – head covering, face shield, mask, gown, gloves and booties.
I do not wear a mask for me. I wear a mask for you.
We know that COVID-19 is a sneaky, silent invader. If I am infected, I won’t know it for 4 or 5 days – maybe not even then. If I am infected, I can infect others.
When I go out in public, I think I am COVID-19 free. To be extra safe, I wear a mask so that my ability to infect others, should I be infected but asymptomatic, is reduced as far as possible. “I care about you” is the message that a mask sends.
To protect myself, there are other procedures – social distancing, cleaning surfaces, personal hygiene – that will help to keep me safe.
Last week, for the first time in three-and-a-half months, my wife and I went to a restaurant for lunch. The staff members wore masks. The customers coming in did not wear masks. Were any of them asymptomatic carriers of the disease? Were they spreading the virus as they passed our table?
We will not be returning to a dine-in restaurant unless masks are required for customers coming in, or a vaccine becomes available.
Gil Lulay
Anchorage
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