Wear a mask, save lives

Kevin King/Postmedia Network

One thing is clear in this age of COVID  — if we are to get a handle on the pandemic, which is raging out of control all over the world, we MUST wear a mask. Each and every one of us over the age of 2 years have a duty to comply. Children can get the virus but they, as potential asymptomatic carriers, can also spread it; children under 2 should not have their mouths and noses covered.  Practice hand-washing hygiene with them as part of personal grooming at home.  Encourage youngsters to keep their hands away from eyes, nose and mouth. 

As for adults, wear a damned mask! Simple. Stop the whining. Stop the excuses, Stop going on about it being a violation of your rights. What about the rights of the ‘medically fragile’ or ‘at risk’.  When you’re milling about at the malls without a  mask you can’t know how many others you might unwittingly infect. As for myself, given the seriousness of our current world wide health situation, I have a right to expect places of business to be safe when I frequent them. Though I’m proactive with regard to  my own health and wellness, I am considered ‘at risk’ because of pre-existing conditions.

Again, just to be very clear. None of  us is special. None of us in immune to the virus and none of us can say with certainty that we won’t unwittingly pass it to someone else or many people, cycling the virus  even further out of control. Who’s to say that we aren’t silent spreaders and because of that, we infect many people, some of whom will die. That’s the reality of this insidious virus. It has no respect for one’s station in life. None.

The words of Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, resonate — “I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care for other people”

Via a Facebook post, my sister-in-law recounted a troubling scene. She was in a convenience store where there were approximately 20 people not practicing social distancing, except those lined up at the cash. The man in front of her was still in his EMS uniform, NOT wearing a mask. That very person would be the one who loads patients onto stretchers for transport to hospital, probably sitting beside them during the ambulance ride. How many times did he do that in the course of a single day, with stops for beverage pick-up in between?  How many similarly unmasked people did he encounter? Silent spreaders? People already infected but not knowing? People presenting with early symptoms, such as a cough, but still going out? 

Ambulance New Brunswick would do well to issue a binding directive to all employees at every level of care. Violating contact and care rules could result in suspension without pay. Hits to the wallet tend to get attention and correct behaviour. For some it takes multiple cash withdrawals before they ‘get it’.

Now, about those pesky masks! Just stop it about the masks. They SAVE lives. The folks moaning and groaning about them need to just get over themselves and look at the bigger picture. It’s not like they’re forced to wear a mask every waking hour. Wearing the mask is about respecting those around us. We instruct our children to be kind, to obey safety rules, to obey rules of conduct at gathering places for sporting activities. So, too, we must obey the laws of the land as they pertain to mask wearing during a global health crisis.

  Business owners are now finding themselves acting as mask police. Patrons of their stores have a DUTY to respect the rules of establishments where there a mask order in place. Their ability to put food on the table and pay bills is at risk when bullies won’t play by the rules. Violators of mask mandate ARE bullies. They can spin it any way they like but they need to understand this — by not wearing a mask, they punish themselves, too.  How can that be more important than respecting the person who sells them a coffee and doughnut? 

Stay safe. Be kind. WEAR a mask.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca