It seems like nowadays you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t – wear a mask that is.
Alberta Health’s website currently states the jury is still out on whether or not masks protect the person wearing them from COVID-19. Even so, they are legally mandatory in all indoor public places. Those who are vulnerable or immunocompromised are especially encouraged to wear masks.
I’m not here to lecture anyone about the science of whether or not masks are effective in preventing the transmission and spread of COVID-19. I have some opinions on the matter, but I’m no expert and the last thing I want to do is add to the endless noise coming from both sides of the aisle.
Instead, I would like to discuss the very real issue of shaming that comes from both mask supporters and critics alike.
It’s commonplace at this stage in the pandemic to wear a mask when at your job, visiting a grocery store or the hairdresser, or a place of worship. But what about places where mask wearing isn’t legally required but is still socially encouraged by some?
When gatherings were allowed (both indoors and outdoors), mask-wearing etiquette became increasingly confusing. As COVID-19 cases decline in Alberta, and health restrictions ease in the coming months, I foresee this being an even greater issue.
There is an increasing segment of the population who have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. In fact, more than 40 per cent of Airdrie residents have now been inoculated with their first dose.
In the near future, those who have been vaccinated will likely benefit from loosened restrictions on mask-wearing, as has recently happened in the United States. But there will also be a portion of the population who choose to continue wearing them for their own reasons.
It will be nearly impossible to determine who belongs to which scenario. We certainly cannot know a person’s history or circumstances by looking them up and down in the grocery store. Do they have a medical exemption? Are they or a loved one high-risk? Have they been vaccinated? Are they just an “anti-masker”?
Unless retail employees start asking to see a customer’s vaccination status when they walk through the door, nobody will know. And I would hope that in Canada, the concept of a vaccination passport or a “green pass” (as they are called in Israel) is nothing more than a “conspiracy.”
Nonetheless, it seems to be a trend to look down on your neighbour either for choosing to wear a mask, or not wearing one.
While there is so much polarization in the world already, I would encourage others to not make the face mask another reason to look down on or judge another. We cannot fully know someone's story or values by their mask-wearing status.
Carmen Cundy, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @carmenrcundy
