It occurred to me very recently that each day when I’m running errands and going about my day, I am getting out of my car and putting my face mask on and its more automatic than ever. I’m not thinking about it or complaining about it, I’m just doing it.
As I enter a place like Wal-mart, I look all around and see all kinds of people following their version of everyone elses rules. Sure, Big Box may require you to wear face coverings, but not everyone is doing it, not everyone is enforcing it.
You see a mother wearing a mask, but the three kids in her shopping cart are not. You see an entire family, all wearing masks, walking together in robotic fashion, the paranoid mother warning her kids not to touch anything. You see the elderly people driving walmart electric carts, most wearing their masks incorrectly. Once in awhile you recognize a face underneath the mask and you say hello to a person surprised you know them.
Rewind to the beginning of the year. Who would have known that face masks and face coverings would be part of our new normal? Beginning May 16, 2020 New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham is requiring that anyone out and about in public in New Mexico be required to wear a face covering, with the only exceptions being eating, drinking, exercising and medical related situations.
The CDC also recommends that everyone wear face coverings when outside of their homes, whether you feel well or not. There is evidence that people without any symptoms can have Covid 19 and spread the disease. This is especially true for the younger generation, known as the “super spreaders”. They could have Covid-19 and have absolutely no symptoms.
Face coverings prevent the person wearing the mask from spreading Covid-19 through respiratory droplets if they talk, cough, sneeze or simply breathe. So, by wearing a face covering, you are doing your part not to spread Covid-19 if you happen to be afflicted. Using a face mask can be restrictive and uncomfortable, but if it adds any layer of protection for us, it is well worth doing.
I’ve seen many well meaning people wear face coverings incorrectly. They cover their nose but not the mouth, or the mouth but not the nose. Some wear surgical masks upside down, or wear coverings so loose there are big gaps showing. The face mask should be worn so there are no gaps for droplets, etc to escape. Mouth and nose areas should be fully covered. The face covering should be tied or secured so it does not fall off or become undone. Don’t tie it or fasten it so tight that you have trouble breathing.
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