[Note: this is part of our annual Guest Writer Series. Meet guest writer #11.]
When we think of our favorite super heroes, names like Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Spider-Man, and Deadpool usually come to mind. Those super heroes were regular folks that lived amongst us mere mortals and needed a mask to hide their identities in their “super” roles. Surely if we knew Bruce Wayne was Batman, Wayne Enterprises couldn’t have him on the board as Chairman. So how do we explain the remnant in our society that is still wearing masks in public after the height of Covid is seemingly passed?
Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 1,134,170 deaths in the U.S. at the time of this writing. The United Nation’s World Health Organization (WHO) estimates approximately 15 million worldwide died from this past pandemic; clearly, therefore, those are reasons to still fear the virus that took out so many and made countless others sick.
I continue to travel extensively for my job primarily by air. I like the recent message that I have been hearing on the airports and airlines announcement systems. They are saying something like, “If a person decides to wear a mask or not on or off board the aircraft, let us respect either option chosen.” Most flight are mask free, but there are still some passengers as well as crew members who don their masks proudly. So it is with the premise of respecting everyone that I go forward in my thoughts on this subject.
Historically speaking, the COVID-19 virus and its various mutations were not the first time mask wearing reached critical mass. The Spanish Flu or the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 was the first time mask wearing was used as a method to curb a virus in our society. The people used crude masks with as little protection as a handkerchief to protect themselves. They didn’t have the sophistication of our recent KN95 mask that was the preferred item for our past pandemic. Medical or others who needed extra protection needed the N95 type in order to work. Some professionals even used double masking in order to feel secure.
Not widely published or heard about is the fact that the US Department of Health and Human Services officially ended the Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. Unlike the major announcement to start the PHE in March of 2020, which caused a major rippling effect in our entire society, this announcement was very quiet. I remember very vividly packing up the contents of my office desk to work from home at a time where none of us knew how this would end. Among the most significant steps to combat the virus in that directive was limiting how many people could meet in person as well as the wearing of masks in public places. Transportation methods such as airplanes, trains and buses made mask wearing mandatory. Any place where there was a medical facility was of course mandatory as well. I remember walking into the local bank with my mask and thinking how different the reaction to me would have been if I was to have done that in the fall of 2019. I’m sure security or the police would have been called if the time was different.
Also not widely published is the fact that WHO has declared “an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency.” So it seems the rest of the world has followed the same path on ending emergency measures for COVID as we have in the US. So why am I still seeing people with masks on in public places and in some cases outside as well? Well, the only way I can logically explain it is residual fear. The pandemic was horrible, and governments and other entities including the media stoked additional fears that scared us so that we are still concerned about this virus. The entire debate about whether masks actually helped or prolonged the epidemic will forever be argued without resolve. Some believe a herd immunity to be effective, which means society naturally develops immunity over a period of time to any and all viruses. I am not here to argue those points whether right or wrong. I am using this solely as an observation on society.
The overwhelming answer from those who are still wearing a mask from my own, independent, non-scientific survey is that they fear having underlining conditions and wouldn’t fare well should they get the virus. Most are elderly, but some are seemingly young, vibrant people who appear to be just risk-adverse. There are some elderly people in my church I see weekly but have thus forgotten what they look like. I do miss seeing their smiles. To me one of the best parts of going to church is the fellowship. Not seeing faces diminishes the fellowship part.
Also, I admit… Getting on a plane where some are still in masks makes me a little nervous. Ever since the events of 9/11, I have boarded every plane with the notion that I would not be a victim should there be a threat from any passenger on the plane. I do a sweep of faces to see if I think that anyone could be a possible threat. I don’t consider it to be profiling, but instead intelligent survival skills. Not seeing all faces on a plane makes me continually more vigil to watch my fellow passengers, especially those who are still masked.
During the height of the pandemic, we were equal in our masks, but in the summer of 2023, those who are still wearing them stick out like a bit of a proverbial sore thumb. I live in the US Southwest, where temperatures currently range from 105-117. To compound the heat with a mask seems rather like self inflicted torture.
I remember, no less, the summers of 2020 and 2021 when those masks added to my own personal heat index. I was glad when they were relaxed in 2022. I look forward to the day when we can all look each other in the face (the whole face) and greet each other. I also hope we have all learned more about hygiene and healthcare over the past 3 years. Most of all I hope we have learned how each of us is valuable and how we should continue to respect everyone.
To mask or not to mask? That is the question.
Respectfully…
DG