It’s Not About Me
Last Wednesday, I began my morning with a non-COVID-19-related visit to the doctor’s office. If you have been avoiding the doctor recently, allow me to set the scene.
Upon entering, I was screened with a temperature check and questionnaire about COVID-19 symptoms before being granted access to the rest of the building. Once inside, I made my way through a series of halls in which everyone was clad with a cloth or paper face mask. There was a reminder sign by the elevator to not crowd more than four people inside, and the nurse who took me to my examination room struggled to see past her cloth mask and plastic face shield while transcribing my information. I couldn’t help but think as I watched her work at the computer of how frustrating it must be to work day-in and day-out in this environment.
A few hours later, my day ended with my first live sports event to cover in 104 days. For the first time since Arcadia’s WIAA Division Three State Semifinal on March 12, I was back on the road with a camera in hand and a press pass hanging from my neck. I also had an extra accessory as well, a white Green Bay Packers cloth mask that I wore from the moment I pulled up until I returned to my car to disinfect my hands, remove the mask and drive home.
While I had no expectations for anyone other than myself at the baseball game I covered, I saw two masks and haphazard social distancing among over the 100 others in attendance. It was as if my hour drive had taken me to another planet, or back in time rather than to another side of the county.
I was fully aware of the looks I was getting and how ineffective my gesture was in an environment where few others had decided to extend the courtesy, but I wore it anyway. Not out of some mistaken sense of self-righteousness, not because I thought I was smarter than anyone and not out of fear. My desire to wear a mask is out of deference to reliable sources on how to limit the spread of this virus, my respect for the communities I serve and to not contribute to any further spread should I unknowingly contract the virus and be asymptomatic.
For many of us, wearing a mask is just something we have to do for part of our work day or for trips to the grocery store. They’re uncomfortable, do little to protect you and even less to protect others when not worn properly. But for those in healthcare, senior care and many other industries, daily use of masks and sometimes shields has been the reality for the last couple months.
As some sports finally return to our area “for at least a couple games” as the public address announcer said prior to first pitch last week, it is important to remember we are not back to life as it was prior to mid-March. Whether or not you wear a mask for me, I wear one for you and our healthcare workers.
