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I wore a mask to the bank today.
Nobody batted an eye.
They probably would have been more concerned if I hadnât worn a mask, since theyâre now required for anyone working at or visiting an âessentialâ business thatâs still open to the public.
A month ago, when I first went outside after recovering from the flu, only a handful of people were wearing masks. Itâs still not everyone, but a lot more people are masking up these days.
Bandanas mostly, and pleated cloth masks. At the grocery store I saw a few people, mostly older, with more serious filters.
Maybe half the people I see walking around residential areas. Itâs not required in this area, at least not yet, if youâre going for a solo walk, just if youâre going to be interacting with people. And if youâre out with someone from your own household, itâs not like youâre endangering each other. And yeah, I get it: itâs a pain to grab a mask just to walk around the block.
More people along bigger streets, where they might be on their way to or from a store or restaurant thatâs still open, or a bus.
Everyone doing construction or landscaping or gardening.
Someone standing on a street corner selling masks for a few dollars apiece. A sign on a telephone pole advertising hand-made masks by someone in the neighborhood. Parked cars with cloth masks hanging from the rear-view mirrors.
And scattered around, the occasional discarded masks. I donât understand: Theyâre not easy enough to find that you can just toss one and replace it on a whim. Whatâs the story? Did someone rip another personâs mask off and throw it in the dirt as a form of bullying? Throw their own mask away in frustration?
Photo of a discarded mask on the ground.
âKelson Vibber, 2020-04-17
