Why Should I Bother with Masks and Social Distancing?

The pandemic is almost everywhere and we have to fight it if we want life to go back to normal.

I understand that staying 6 feet from everyone outside of your home is discomfiting, disruptive, feels unnatural and rude, and makes you lonely. You crave social contact and not getting it really bothers you.

I also understand that wearing masks has similar results, and that you may not need protection from SARS-CoV-2 because you have none of the high-risk problems (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.). Also, there's been a lot of false information about the efficacy of wearing masks for both those who are high risk and those who have the virus. It's confusing, sometimes scary and makes communication more difficult. it's also inconvenient and, when the mask gets wet inside from breathing, it can be harder to breathe.

That's how I feel...I'm not fond of social distancing. I love hugging. I don't like covering my face.

But, numerous studies have shown that if everyone keeps at least 6' apart (8' is better) and wears a mask, the chance of passing on the virus is hugely reduced. The resurgence of the virus worldwide is primarily because people aren't doing these two things!

...But, I have to think and try to be concerned about the people who are at high risk, like my parents, aunts and uncles, and some friends...Plus those I know who are in healthcare, like my sister and dear friend, Cathy Z, a nurse who has volunteered to work in CoViD-19 wards. Also, I like my doctor and nurses, and don't want to lose them! So, consider this, please:

1. You might share the virus with someone who will eventually give it to a high-risk person.
   • People might be in hospital for months, racking up huge bills and ending up with a lung transplant or permanent heart or brain damage, as has already happened with the most severe cases.
     
   • Children might become orphans.
   • People might die because of you.
2. Refusing to socially distance and wear a mask (unless you have a health problem that prevents it) could result in:
   • another lockdown, which means a lot of people out of work, people stuck at home ALL THE TIME, and businesses failing;
   • schools and daycare centers being closed again, so you won't be able to work because you won't be able to use a babysitter to care for your kids;
   • Small communities that are already struggling will collapse.
   • More renters and those paying off mortgages will lose their homes because the government prefers to help businesses over us.
   • Families might lose EVERYTHING, just like in the Great Depression. Ask your family members who survived it how terrible the 1920s-1940s were because of all the financial problems then!
     • Poverty affects children, Blacks and Hispanics more than other groups.
     • There are over 100 million American living in or near poverty according to research. Some other countries, especially 2nd and 3rd world ones, are even worse.
   • America could sink into chaos, martial law and even greater disparity between the ultra-rich and the rest of us.
     
     And that's just in America. What about in countries that are worse-off than the US? Do you WANT the world to compare our citizens to the least disciplined, least educated citizens of 3rd-world nations because we can't even agree to do what's in the best interests of the nation and the world? I don't.

If America is great, as many claim, let's PROVE IT! Stand up, be a GREAT citizen, wear a mask and distance yourself. Stop being a selfish ASS. It doesn't matter if you won't get sick from SARS2 - you're not the only person alive!

Medical professionals are risking their lives because YOU refuse to do the right thing! Hospitals are filling up and, of those medical professionals, thousands have lost their jobs and hundreds have died due to the virus.

Yet, people needing non-SARS2 treatment have trouble getting help. EMTs are finding people dead in their homes because they couldn't get treatment or were afraid to seek it. People can't get tested, test results in some areas are delayed up to two weeks, and some people get help too late because of these problems, resulting in long-term consequences if not death.

Freedom in America does NOT give you the right to do whatever you want, UNLESS you aren't hurting anyone - yourself included.

I don't like wearing the mask, but it's not hard to do unless I'm working really hard when it's hot, so I wear it when I should. I'm not going to cause deaths, loss of jobs, business failures or the collapse of society because I'm being pig-headed while spouting nonsense like "It's my body!" and "I have the right to choose!" This is not about abortion or your bodies. This is about saving America and the world. So stop whining and do what's right. It's not hard, and it's a LOT easier than everything being locked down again!

If nothing else convinces you, then remember that life CANNOT go back to normal if we don't start doing what's required to get rid of SARS2.___

---

If you appreciate this article, please 🏅upvote/like👍, 🤩resteem/share and share it to Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn and wherever else you can!