Firstly, if you're sick, you shouldn't even be out and about to worry about having a mask on, unless you're going to the doctor, so there's that. Don't be an idiot.
Secondly, if you're not sick and are wearing a mask, you're not "saving a life." You're not sick. All you're doing is saving everyone from your morning breath. Or your after-lunch onion breath.
Thirdly, people who should be masking?
- Hair stylists and manicurists. They're in close proximity with people for a prolonged amount of time and if sick people are idiots and are going out for a mani/pedi, a mask on everyone will be double protection against the virus.
- Healthcare workers, for obvious reasons. If I worked in direct patient care, I would be masking up for all kinds of reasons: flu season, stomach bug, etc.
- Anyone else who deals with the public face-to-face for longer than a few seconds (bank tellers, realtors, customer service, etc.) because people are dumb (see above about not being an idiot.)
- Compromised individuals (or people who live with compromised individuals) who need to go out of the house. Because, again, we can't trust everyone to not be idiots.
Also, for the record, COVID-19 does not spontaneously appear. If no one is sick at a church, no one's in danger. The virus does not seek out crowds like a heat-seeking missile. If I accidentally stand too close to you (long shot, but you never know) the virus doesn't magically spawn. It's not omniscient or sentient; it's a virus.
I would like for everyone to be as vigilant about symptoms, masking, and quarantining as they are now when flu season comes around, because the same principals should exist for any virus that has a death toll.
