<p><strong>To the editor:</strong></p><p>To be masked or not to be masked? And the rest of the story.</p><p>It appears the coronavirus infections are mostly spread person-to-person via microscopic droplets when breathing, talking, coughing or sneezing. So common sense would indicate wearing a mask covering your mouth and nose can be beneficial.</p><p>The coronavirus can also be transmitted by surface-to-person. Depending on the surface, the virus may live for a few hours to a few days. So not only is wearing a mask important but important also is how you handle your mask. We see children and adults of all ages and varieties pulling and tugging at their masks, to cover their nose and to make more space between their mouth and the mask.</p><p>If you are an infected person, a mask can trap your droplets. So the inside of your mask is hopefully catching your expelled viruses and the inside is therefore contaminated. If you are not infected, the outside of the mask hopefully catches the droplets from an infected person. So the outside is likely to be contaminated.</p><p>Handle the mask by the ear loops or ties only. Do not tug or pull at other places on your mask. Do not touch the inside or outside of your mask. If you do, attempt to immediately wash your hands or use a sanitizer. Otherwise, everything you touch thereafter could become contaminated. After removing your mask, consider it contaminated and be cautious where you place your mask because that surface may become contaminated. If students are allowed at times to remove their masks at school, how will they be handled and where will they be placed? Students will need lots of good instructions from teachers and parents.</p><p>For those without any symptoms, it’s more than just about you. Most studies are showing that between 40% and 45% of coronavirus infected individuals have no symptoms but are still likely to infect others. So a mask is not about protecting just you but also protecting others. One recent study showed 40% of all infected individuals caught the virus from an asymptomatic individual.</p><p>Even if you tested negative for the virus today does not mean that several days from now you could become infected, have no symptoms, but yet infect others. If you are attending an event where temperatures are taken, don’t assume you are safe. Remember, a large percentage of individuals with the virus have no symptoms.</p><p>I’m an 83 year old widower and I’ve had enough of this lonesome, boring self-isolation and hiding behind a mask in public. Let’s all work together to make it better for everyone soon.</p><p><p><strong>Dick Huber</strong></p><p><p><strong>Greenwood</strong></p>
