I am amazed that I still see people in some stores who are not wearing a mask. I asked one of them why not, and was told "it's just a virus." I asked if he knew about the thousands of people who had already died from COVID-19. I was told, "That's what they want you to believe."
But our medical professionals say that wearing masks helps keep us safe. If they are right, then we should all be wearing masks. If he was right, and masks don't help, should we still wear masks? The answer is yes. Even if masks offer no protection, the other part of not wearing a mask is that you are scaring people. Their fear is real. Making people uncomfortable is not a good thing. Do you want people looking at you as if you just passed gas in an elevator?
My understanding is that the virus cannot survive very long without a host. So let's stop giving it new hosts. Isolate, test and trace. Also, we need to do this on a national level, so we don't end up playing viral whack-a-mole on the state and local levels.
Please stay safe and let's get this done.
Mark Beaudin
Anchorage
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