Colorado has now been told to wear masks in public. I don’t say ordered, because enforcement isn’t clear, but it also isn’t a suggestion.
We’ve been told to use t-shirts if we must. T-shirts. In the richest nation in the world. Sit with that for a moment.
Today I went for a walk in a makeshift mask made with a bandana and rubber bands. It had way too many layers. It kept steaming up my glasses. And I live in a semi-rural area. I didn’t get within half a football field of anyone.
But I wore it anyway.
I wore it because life is unpredictable. Someone might approach you. Maybe an emergency will come up. Maybe your terrible dog will slip her collar and you’ll have to get close enough to rescue someone from being jumped on. You never know.
I wore because asymptomatic does not mean noninfectious.
I wore it because it signals important things.
It says that I believe in science. It says that I respect the advice of people who know more than I do. People who have spent years studying in their fields. Smart people. I’m not going to jump off any bridges at their suggestion, but if they tell me that a mask is important, I’m going to accept that they’re a higher authority than I am.
And it signals solidarity. We’re all in this together. If we look a little silly, we’ll all look a little silly together. If our glasses are steamy, we’ll all look out through the variable haze of our own breath together. If our faces get chapped, at least everyone else will be able to empathize in the most literal way possible. And, because this is America, someone will have a product to market to alleviate that problem lickety-split.
So yeah, it is really necessary.
Signing off. Stay safe, and take care of each other.
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