With the CDC announcing that fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks out in public except where required by law, many people on social media have touted this as “going back to normal”. While I do believe that no longer having to wear masks in public is a sign that more and more people are getting vaccinated, I personally will continue to wear a mask in public regardless of this new announcement.
The pandemic came into full effect a little more than 14 months ago now, and to be wearing a mask has become like second nature. Whenever I walk out of the house I always give a rundown of things I need when going out and the order always goes “Phone, Mask, Wallet, Keys.” Wearing a mask has become engrained into my life, so much so that I now color coordinate my mask with my outfit (I feel like black is the safest mask color).
One thing I’ve noticed is that in the last 14 months I have not felt sick (knock on wood) and that is mainly due to the fact that I always wear a mask wherever I go in public. To me wearing a mask is like saying “Thank You” or saying “Goodbye”, it’s a common courtesy, not only to yourself but to others as well. Wearing a mask is like saying “Hey, I don’t want to get myself sick, or you sick” and I feel like that should be the norm in the United States. Many countries like Japan have adopted wearing masks whenever they feel sick and when put to use in the U.S. this can be really helpful to the overall health of everyone.
Now I’m not saying that after the pandemic is over that we just wear masks 24/7 like we do now, but whenever we’re sick masks should be used to keep others safe. Until all of this is “over”, it’s important to get vaccinated and be mindful of any mask rules to wherever you go.