We still need to decide about masks

Sixteen weeks into this pandemic and I’ll admit, I’ve grown a little weary of the mask debate. Excuse me, cloth face-covering discussion. It seems endless, and redundant, and far too enmeshed in emotions and political parties. It’s exhausting!

Do I choose to go to the trouble of sewing my own, having someone else make one for me, or buy some to wear when I go out and about these days?

Do I always remember to have it on my person when I stop into a grocery store or pick up some takeout? Do I wear one at the home of friends? While seated at an outdoor table? If I make these choices, what are my reasons?

Alternatively, do I actively avoid wearing a mask, at any time, anywhere? Not at a busy grocery store, not in a meeting in an enclosed space, not when visiting someone with compromised immunity? If I choose not to wear a mask what are my reasons?

Currently, thirteen states and the District of Columbia have required the use of masks or face coverings in public settings. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom did so just last week. Just like our country’s current patchwork quilt of varying guidelines and health metrics for this virus, the varieties of mask requirements and efforts to enforce them are many. In Delaware, if you’re 12 or under you’re not required to wear one, in Hawaii, you could face a fine of $5,000 or up to a year in prison if you’re found guilty of not wearing one.

Washington State has a ‘Guidance on Cloth Face Coverings’ which is two pages long and includes a link on how to make a simple one. The document urges you to stay six feet away from others, to wash your hands, avoid touching your eyes, etc. and to avoid sick people.

On coronoavirus.wa.gov, there are bullseye-clear graphics, information on how to make a mask that allows others to see your lips as you speak (helpful to those who are hard of hearing), and a link to all the platforms where you can “tell the world why you wear a mask.”

Those messages range from the simple to the deadly serious. On Twitter, @Allstarz_Staff simply said, “We definitely think safety is cool!”

@sheriantoinette, however, posted “COVID-19 is the worst disease process I’ve ever worked with in my 8 years as an ICU nurse. When they say “recovered” they don’t tell you that that means you may need a lung transplant. Or that you may come back after d/c with a massive heart attack or stroke bc COVID makes your blood thick as hell. Or that you may have to be on oxygen for the rest of your life. COVID is designed to kill. We will run out of resources if we don’t continue to flatten the curve. I’m exhausted.”

Clearly, this discussion is exhausting because it is personal. Each individual’s understanding of science and risk is different, just as each individual person’s outlook on society, mutual aid, and community is unique.

My own decisions are guided by the common-sense upbringing of my mom, who was an office nurse at the Cheney Clinic for 20 years. She was practical, straightforward, and level-headed. My decisions are also guided by my experiences—talking to a friend who survived the virus, reading endless articles and news accounts. Another odd bit of spackle in my decision wall? A remarkable graphic on the New York Times website showing bright blue plumes of droplets advancing in pixilated computer animation as either a cough, sneeze, or breath. One fact that crystallized the threat in my mind?

“In fact, researchers at M.I.T. studying coughs and sneezes observed particles from a cough traveling as far as 16 feet and those from a sneeze traveling as far as 26 feet.” (from “This 3-D Simulation Shows Why Social Distancing Is So Important”, NYTimes April 14, 2020)

Consider others, try to seek out some science, and make your own decisions. If you’re brave, look at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/14/science/coronavirus-transmission-cough-6-feet-ar-ul.html.

Tracy Thompson