Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic worsened in the United States, it has been mandated by nearly every public official across the nation that everyone must wear a mask. Studies have shown that wearing a mask will help curb the spread of the virus and allow people to keep themselves and others safe, yet many people are still having trouble putting a mask on or wearing it correctly. I just don’t understand – Do people truly lack so much empathy that they do not care to help protect others by doing something as simple as wearing a mask when they leave the house? Apparently so.

The laws that require us to now wear masks when we leave our houses were not created for nothing; they were created to help protect those around us. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explain that “based on what we know about the role respiratory droplets play in the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, paired with emerging evidence from clinical and laboratory studies that shows masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth.” Science proves that wearing a mask will help curb the spread of the virus, so again I ask the question: why do so many people simply refuse to wear a mask? 

I would also like to point out that those who are not wearing masks at all are not the only problem; anyone who doesn’t wear a mask properly is also part of the problem. Having your nose sticking out is not wearing your mask properly. Having your mask under your chin is not wearing your mask properly. Having your mask hanging off one ear is not wearing your mask properly. However, if you’re really confused on how to properly wear a mask, look up a tutorial on YouTube.

Now, I would be lying if I said that I don’t pull my mask down when I am walking outside and there is not another soul in sight, because I do. However, as soon as I see someone come into my line of vision, I immediately pull it back up. By all means, take a second to breathe in the fresh air when you’re alone, but if you’re passing by me on the sidewalk there is no reason your mask should be pulled down. It’s the new common courtesy and in all honesty, it’s not only common courtesy, it’s the safe thing to do to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Wearing a mask is something so unbelievably simple and yet people still refuse to wear one — and for what? Because you think a virus that has killed over 100,000 people is a hoax? Because you could care less about other people and whether they live or die? If you don’t want to wear a mask or wear it properly I have a solution for you: don’t leave your house.