Reasons Not to Wear a Mask

Okay, so we're not even a week into the mandatory mask rule and I know that some people are finding it difficult, some people are complaining and some people think they are geniuses for wearing masks made either of netting or that look like they were made out of a string vest because they're complying with the rules, apparently, without actually paying due care and attention to why the rules are in place. No, this isn't a list of reasons you shouldn't be wearing a mask, nor is it going to be a rant of insults about people who don't wear them. I'm sorry if either of those things disappoints you, but read on and it should make some sense. 

When COVID first happened, unlike fetch, masks were in short supply, such that even care homes staff couldn't get their hands on the vital pieces of Personal Protective Equipment. Non-medical members of NHS staff were entering hospitals and working in them without the proper attire to protect themselves and those close to them, and there was a general discouragement of wearing masks which, as I understand it, was for two reasons. One of those reasons was a supply and demand issue. There simply weren't enough to go around, and it is why we saw the prices of PPE and sanitiser skyrocket. Everyone wanted it, so what little there was could be charged sky-high prices to get hold of. The other reason is probably a lot more simple though. The more flexibility people have been given, the more that they have pushed it. If the government had stated: Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives, but if you must go out, wear a mask, a lot of people who stayed home would have donned a face covering and gone out even when the virus was killing hundreds of people per day and we would probably have been in a more severe phase of the lockdown than we are now. 

As things have moved on, supply chains have sorted themselves out a lot more and it's possible to get reusable masks and sanitiser more widely and more cheaply, but also, more and more people are being prompted to resume life as close to normal as they can do. Now that we're piling people back into pubs, bars, restaurants etc, even with social distancing, there needs to be some other form of prophylactic course of action. Masks and face coverings are that option. 

There's a meme going around about having to wear glasses and a face mask and being entitled to condensation, and it's true, they can steam your glasses up. Most people are using their masks incorrectly, as well, but actually, even the improper use of a mask is going to cut infection rates, so surely it's better to have a lot of people do something badly rather than a small percentage do it well. Some of the examples of the wrong I have personally seen are touching the outside of the mask whilst wearing it, pulling it on top of the head or under the chin when it's not needed, keeping it in a pocket without any form of the bag (probably right next to a germy phone) or wearing a mask so that it covers only the mouth and not the nose. I've also seen one that covered the nose and top lip, but not the bottom and that did not look comfortable. There are also times when you should change your mask and people don't. If you've worn it for more than a few hours - I believe the current view is about four - have coughed or sneezed into the mask or have touched your face through the mask, you should change it. This is what I mean about having them in a bag. 

Women who use reusable Cloth Sanitary Protection will be used to the idea of carrying a wet bag, but even something like a scrub bag - a cloth bag that you can throw into the washing machine with everything inside of it - or a plastic sandwich bag would do. You keep a bag for used things, in this case, masks, and keep your new, fresh, unworn items in another, preferably airtight. If you need to cough or sneeze, try to do so somewhere where you're not going to spread droplets onto other people and cover your nose and mouth with a tissue. You know the whole phrase of catch it, bin it, kill it? It was literally made for viruses which are transmissible in this way. If you're at home, or somewhere you don't need to wear a mask, cough or sneeze into your elbow instead of your hands, because you're less likely to then transfer that liquid onto another surface, and you can still use sanitiser on your elbow, even if it makes you feel like a weirdo, and of course, wash your hands - and elbow - as soon as you can with warm soapy water. Coughing fits can come on unexpectedly, as can sneezes and sometimes, people spray spittle when they speak - this is what masks are trying to stop, but if you have just been on a five-minute coughing spree, your mask is likely saturated with vapour/ droplets of sputum, saliva or whatever. You want that out of the way as soon as you can. 

I'm a relatively lucky spud, because whilst I have mild asthma and haven't been running anything like as much as I should have been, I have been able to get away with wearing a mask without problems, but my granddad has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder). It's not something I'm an expert in, so I won't pretend to be, but I can say this, he can be out of breath getting up from his chair, his breathing sounds laboured all of the time and his hands are very often a blue-y purple that means that they're not getting enough oxygen. He tried to wear a mask. He tried to get along with wearing them. He is a very stubborn man, but he tried, and he can't. Some people cannot cope with the feel of them, some feel they cannot breathe in them. It's not a simple case of not wanting to wear them, and I can't say it's something I can explain, but whether these reasons are physical or psychological, some people are simply unable to wear a mask. Some people are trying their best to come up with different solutions, some people are trying forms of exposure therapy to lessen the panic that they feel in masks, so they can wear them. This means there is no right answer and no one size fits all. That annoying ass hat you've seen not wearing a mask might not simply be flouting the rules, but may have a genuine reason not to wear one, and that's kind of none of everyone else's business, so maybe just try and be kind and understanding in case?

Granted, there is a limit to that. If someone is not wearing a mask, walking too close to you and coughing in your face, that's obviously an issue, but some of the issues which people have with masks might not be visible or audible. If you stood near my granddad, you'd hear him rasping and it might be obvious to most people that he has long term issues with his chest, but you can't tell by looking at someone that they're autistic and triggered by things touching their face, or any of the other perfectly valid reasons that someone cannot wear them. Whilst I appreciate the frustration with the crowds who are making lace masks that miss the point completely, or the angry mob of 'I know my rights' - thankfully more of an American issue that one we face here - there has been a tendency, both online and with the average Joe or Joanne in the street to assume that anyone whose mouth and nose are on display falls into one of those two categories and it is simply not that simple. 

TL;DR - Wear a mask if you can, don't if you can't and accept that not everyone is the same. Also, if you can wear a fun mask, do it. Treat it like an accessory for your face and it makes it a lot more fun. 

Oooh, let's call this the epilogue, ha... One issue I have found with having to wear masks frequently, particularly when they make you a little bit red-faced and sweating like a pig left alone with David Cameron, is that they can easily cause breakouts of spots, which is so annoying. I mean, sure, if we are heading for a stage where it's all masks all the time, whatever, but I don't think they are, and I don't want to show my face in public when my jawline is underlined in red, so I've found that carrying handy wipes or a small packet of baby wipes can be good to have a bit of a refresh when I take a face covering off and it seems to have done the trick for the moment. And that, gents, is why ladies have to carry large handbags; we have to be prepared for everything. And with that, I'm done talking about masks. For today anyway. I'm sure I'll be back to talking about them when I get back to making them in the next couple of days.