Some situations require a person to think outside of their own life and into the lives of others. It is obvious that COVID-19 affects everyone differently. For some, the current pandemic does not impose a medical concern and does not put them or their healthy family members in harm’s way. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to have family members and themselves free of underlying health issues. Even if the effectiveness of wearing a mask may not be high, putting other people in danger is not worth the risk.

Each member of the school district brings different backgrounds to the table. Some students live with their older grandparents, putting not only that student, but also their relatives at risk if they are surrounded by others who refuse to wear a mask. If a teacher’s spouse or children have underlying health issues, and those teachers bring home the virus, their family members are more susceptible to a greater impact on their health. Some people would just rather not catch the virus and face the effects it may bring, more importantly the unknown long-term effects which have not been identified yet.

While there are individuals who believe case numbers are falsified, we need to recognize human decency begins with respecting other’s comfort zones. Treat the pandemic as you will, but if a public place requests or requires the use of a mask, do not violate the public’s safe spaces.

Even if there is no solid evidence as to how effective wearing a mask is to decreasing case numbers, the effectiveness begins in other areas such as giving peace of mind to others around. A majority of people feel more comfortable being out in public, knowing that others will wear masks around them. When this idea of comfort is taken away, it leads to a more negative reaction to the overall situation.

Personally, I am not afraid of catching the virus, rather I am scared of what could happen if I passed it onto family members of mine who have pre-existing health issues. Even without the concerns previously mentioned, I believe in wearing masks in public places as a courtesy to others around me. You never know what may be going on in others lives, and I would never want to negatively affect others around me. Taking precautions such as wearing a mask in public places makes me feel as though I have done my part in making sure that others feel comfortable leaving their homes, and getting back into what feels like their normal lives.

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