Be safe, insist on it

330

Editor,

In case your readers missed it, fifty volunteers just spent six weeks cutting, sewing, and distributing 3000 face masks to healthcare professionals, nursing homes, cashiers, and general public. It was an act of love for their community, to protect their fellow citizens without cost to them.

We are now standing in the moment that act was for – the town is mostly open, visitors are returning, the virus is walking among us, and yet hardly anyone is wearing a mask or taking other precautions. The National State and local directives for protection are weak and unclear, yet the one thing the CDC and WHO recommend is a simple handmade face mask, whether you are sick or well.

It is no shame to wear it, in most cases it is not dangerous to our personal health, and it is not too much to ask a visitor to our town to respect our health by wearing one while they are inside our establishment.

Please do not negate the efforts or insult the volunteers who worked so tirelessly to protect their community by not wearing a mask. I personally realize there is a fine line between shaming and scolding, and from what I’ve seen when driving through town and experienced while visiting the Post Office, I am no longer concerned with niceties. We are at a critical moment in this pandemic. Protect yourself. Protect our visitors. Set a good example – be Responsible and Wear the Damn Mask!

Mark Hughes