'You're wrong, I'm right'

I am not a doctor, nor am I an expert on the COVID-19 pandemic. I am a 17 year-old girl who stands at the entrance of her work, asking customers to kindly wear a mask before entering. At my place of work, unless one is medically unable to do so, masks are required for entry. I will stand with a cart, a box of disposable masks, a bottle of hand sanitizer, and a counter app, watching the world and this pandemic go by. 

Many customers already wear a mask and are welcomed into the store, should there be enough room. Some do not and readily use one of the disposable masks our store offers. Some have something to say and to be honest, they enter our store without a mask. They are accommodated as employees are told not to engage any further in such cases. This is quite frustrating. 

A common theme in those who refuse a mask is in what they tell me: "you’re wrong, and I’m right." 

As someone who has no credentials in virology or anything remotely connected to the study of disease transmission, I cannot say who is right or wrong in this situation. I will say that wearing a mask appears to be responsible in my mind; however, the World Health Organization states that fabric, non-medical masks “[have] limited evidence on their effectiveness and WHO does not recommend their widespread use among the public for control of COVID-19”.

That being said, where medical masks are sparsely available and physical distancing is difficult to obtain, WHO “advises governments to encourage the general public to use non-medical fabric masks”. Ultimately, despite lack of studies conducted on their entire effectiveness and the fact that masks should not be a sole defense against this virus, they are something. 

When all this is through, perhaps we will look back on everyone wearing masks as something quite silly. Until then, I regard the thousands of students this year who had no choice but to cancel their proms, the couples who had to cancel their weddings, the funeral of my friend I was unable to attend, the people who have lost their jobs, and the people who have cancelled their dream vacations. There have been many things people have had no choice about in this pandemic. Though I am told to inform people “masks are required to shop at our store”, it is ultimately still a choice to wear one. The choice to say  “I am right and you are wrong” or the choice to say “I have no idea if this will really do anything or not, but for my fellow customers and the employees helping me, I will wear a mask out of respect for them”. 

That is our choice.

Sophie Harms