Masks are not necklaces; wear them properly

December 1, 2020 — by Harshini Velchamy
mask graphic-01
People are taking a risky fashion choice to a whole new level.

Like many others, I’ve been extremely cautious about COVID-19. I always have extra disposable masks in my car and at least two bottles of hand sanitizer in the glove compartment. I never take off my mask when I’m within 6 feet of people, and when I do take off my mask, it’s never for more than a split second. And quite honestly, I thought people who think “masks are social constructs formed by the liberals” were a myth and people screaming “Trump 2020” after angrily running out of coffee shops were just poorly paid actors. 

But on one of my weekly Costco trips, I was shocked to see the overwhelming number of people not wearing their masks. Over 20% of the people in the parking lot had absolutely nothing covering their nose and mouth and made no effort to stay away from other people. I had to walk around the parking lot just to avoid them. But more than that, the number of people who had masks but just were wearing them around their chin rather than over their nose and mouth was just confusing.

People need to start wearing their masks correctly. It’s not that hard and it’s quite  disappointing to see people have such blatant disregard for people’s safety.

It confounds me why people can’t wear masks correctly. Is this some sort of new fashion aesthetic? It made me so frustrated when I saw at least five out of 10 people next to me wearing their masks on their chins. They already had it on their faces, but just couldn’t move it up two inches to cover their mouth. 

If anything, wearing a mask on your chin is probably the worst thing that people can do. It’s just as bad as not wearing a mask in that it endangers other people, but on top of that, it also makes them look like absolute idiots. 

So, please wear your masks properly. It stresses me out having to take the long way just to avoid being anywhere close to you. It doesn’t take a lot of work. Just pull it over your nose and mouth. If not for you, then do it for the people who could be susceptible to COVID-19 that you’re possibly infecting because at this point, it’s just selfish.

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