Have you ever heard someone who thinks we’re all overreacting to the pandemic say something like “what I don’t get is when I see someone wearing a mask while driving their car!”
There’s a point to be made there, so let’s dispense with that right off the bat. Most folks, even those who fastidiously observe CDC guidelines on mask wearing, take their mask off when they get into their cars. Why? Because when you’re in your car you can’t be spreading virus-laden droplets to others and by the same token others cannot be spreading virus to you. Got it.
There’s a couple of assumptions here, though, so let’s address them. First, how do you know it’s their car? It’s not often, but every now and then you probably drive someone else’s car. If it is the car of someone with whom you do not cohabitate, yeah, you’d wear a mask while you were in it. Also, are they alone in the car? Perhaps they are in it with someone they do not cohabitate with. Again, mask-wearing might not be so crazy in that circumstance. What if you’re a healthcare worker on your way home from taking care of COVID patients all day and this is your family car. We know that such workers often have to sanitize themselves before entering the house. Think they’d just breathe all over the car on their way home? No. They would wear a mask on the ride home.
But here’s the real point. Well over half a million Americans have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Millions lost loved ones. Millions more became–or still are–deathly ill from the virus. It has caused businesses to close, people to default on their mortgages, widespread eviction panics. Much of it could have been avoided if everyone followed CDC guidance. As we know, millions just chose to ignore it completely. Many elected officials actively fought against sound health policy for purely political reasons. But what bugs you, what you find annoying and noteworthy to bring to our attention is the idea that someone might be doing a little bit more than is necessary. That’s what makes you roll your eyes in disbelief.
Well, you’re what I don’t get.