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| I got this mask from here) |
First off, this is three months later. THREE MONTHS after VA shut down due to coronavirus. People don’t even wear masks here!! About half of the people I see in the store wear one, and even the employees working don’t wear them. This is how it’s been for weeks, and Lynchburg is fine.
But now, masks are needed? This is Virginia's second week in a "soft opening" (called phase 1) where some non essential business can reopen (under strict guidelines) and things have been going great! We Virginians have been walking around for three months with only mask-wearing being suggested, and we are doing fine. There was absolutely no reason to make masks mandatory. Many people do not even have access to masks because you can't find them anywhere! Also, children under 10 are exempt, so if wearing a mask actually protects me/you but my kids are walking around with me, you will catch it from them if our family has it because my kids/me breathe the same air and live in the same house. My children are too small to wear masks, Reuben is 4 and Rebekah is 2. I do sometimes have to bring them places (we spent the first 5 weeks staying home absolutely because we didn't know how hard our area would be hit but I need to get things we have run out now, and my husband works a ton) Anyway, me wearing a mask while they don't doesn't do anything. Nothing. At all. Read the studies. This one is particularly interesting.
"One randomized controlled clinical trial of cloth masks, published in BMJ Open in 2015, compared their effectiveness with that of medical masks worn by hospital healthcare workers. (2) The study, involving the industry partner 3M (which makes medical masks), reported that healthcare workers 'should not use cloth masks as protection against respiratory infection. Cloth masks resulted in significantly higher rates of infection than medical masks, and also performed worse than the control arm.'"
To make matters worse, I got into a facebook argument with someone who posted that "those who don't wear masks should think of their children dying." Here is exactly what the post said that I was angry about.
Wait.
What?
Excuse me? I should think of children dying if I go out without a mask?! Or my mother? Also this low-key calls people who don't wear masks uneducated.
WTF.
Needless to say I tried to explain why this is rude and awful, but I just got yelled at. Because, masks. And fear. Here are some of the things I said.
I didn't get everything because I started getting upset/anxious reading all of this again. You can see the actual post here (its open to everyone right now) and participate in the argument if you wish. Even if you believe different. Just be kind.
But, first of all, I have worn masks. I did for a long time. It makes me super claustrophobic to wear a mask. I just can't anymore. Yesterday we were in Walmart and I had to leave and go sit in the car to wait for my husband because I was having a panic attack from wearing my mask. I do want to follow the rules, but please, don't act like you are special or a better/ more caring person because you wear a mask. I hate the elitist attitude of mask-wears who put themselves on a pedestal for wrapping a piece of cloth around their face. Like, wear a mask if you want to. I fully support you. But don't vilify or verbally assault those who don't. And definitely don't tell someone who doesn't wear a mask for whatever reason that they don't love others or that they should imagine their loved ones dying. It isn't kind or nice.
ANYWAY. This is an angst-ridden head canon brought to you by me. Please resume your normal isolation activities and yes, I need to stay off of Facebook. I actually have only been on once since Tuesday. My anxiety can't take this. My kids need a mom who isn't upset about drama. And I definitely couldn't function if I had to imagine them, or any of my loved ones, dead. LIKE WHAT THE FUDGE?!
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