Masks

      We have some new rules at work to help prevent the store staff from spreading COVID-19 to customers of the store and vice versa. One of those new rules is that all employees must wear a mask when on duty. There are paper masks that can be worn if you forget to bring one with you. The preferred mask is cloth with at least two layers.

  I have several that I have acquired over the past few months. I'm grateful to the people who took to their sewing machines to make them and donate them. I'm also grateful to the lady who made me some ear protectors using her 3D printer. I have enough masks so I have a clean one to wear every day at work and can wash my masks once a week with the regular laundry.

  I'll be honest about one thing. I don't like wearing them. They are hard to breathe through. If I'm wearing my glasses they get fogged up most of the time. I can adjust it so the fogging isn't quite so bad, but it never goes away. Most of the time I wear my contact lenses to work. By the end of the day my ears are still sore even with the ear protectors. Since my ears are a bit small, the ear loops tend to make the top part of my ears stick out like little wings. With most of my face covered up, I can't smile at people. I like to be able to give customers a welcoming smile when they come up to the counter. I now have to rely on my voice to sound welcoming and caring since I can't use facial expressions. Which bring me to another challenge. Some of the customers can't hear me. Between the mask on my face and the plastic guard in front of me at the pharmacy counter, some people have trouble. At least once I've had to pull down my mask so I customer could hear what I was saying.

  I wear it anyway because the CDC and the Mayo Clinic, two health care organizations that I trust, say that doing so can help slow the spread. I'm all for that. If it keeps my coworkers and customers a little safer, I'm willing to to do it. 

  There are some people who don't see the need to wear them. There are many reasons. Masks are uncomfortable. They are too hard to breathe through for those with asthma or other lung conditions. Some have found articles that say masks are not effective. There are some who believe that since we don't wear masks during flu season there is no need to wear one now and others feel that it is best to let nature take its course and just let people get it so they can recover and have an immunity to it. There are some that see it as showing fear and will not give into it.

  I'm not going to judge those who don't choose to wear a mask. That is the choice they have made for themselves. It is their right. I will say that if a business chooses to require that customers wear masks when in the store, it is their right to do so. This is nothing new. There are many times when a business will require visitors or customers to wear certain things in the work area. Visitors to a construction site must wear a hard hat. Many retail stores require customers to wear shirts and shoes. Wearing a mask is not different than a shirt or shoes.  The operator of a business has the right to determine what needs to be done to make the workplace safe. If you feel strongly about not wearing one, then you will need to find another place to shop.

  I've been urging people to be understanding of each other and this is a time when understanding is really needed. Let's not let this be another things to contend over.