Protective masks during a pandemic: pros and cons - New Yorkers

In New York, there are more than 20 thousand victims of the coronavirus. Despite this, state residents continue to massively ignore the requirement to wear a mask. The reason why this happens is stated on the website. syracuse.com.

Who should wear a mask

Starting April 17th, every New Yorker must wear a face mask where he cannot keep a distance of 1,8 meters (6 feet) from people he doesn't live with. The exception is children under 2 years old and people who have medical indications.

Similar rules apply in New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Despite the fact that this rule is understandable and easy to follow, most New Yorkers interpret it in their own way.

What New Yorkers Say

Leventhal, 36, is a Brooklyn resident. On one of his morning runs last week, he left the mask at home. Returning, he turned into an empty street to sneeze, hoping that no one would notice. “I raised my head and met the gaze of a masked woman, an elderly woman,” Leventhal recalls. "She just shook her head."

Leventhal said he was aware that reluctance to wear a mask during a pandemic could have life consequences. However, according to him, it is difficult to run with a mask on his face, so he does not.

69-year-old Brooklyn resident Dovid Shlomo Halevi Kurtz does not feel guilty for not wearing a mask. He is convinced of the existence of "God's plan." Also, when he wears the mask, his glasses fog up. “I can't breathe and then I don't see what's good about that? Said Kurtz. - Should I wear it? Not. I don't have COVID-19, I won't infect anyone or get infected. " In addition, he said, “It's like a car accident, God forbid, or lightning. If God wants you to have it (virus - Ed.), You will have it. If God doesn't want you to have it, you won't have it. "

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35-year-old actor John Michael Hill thinks differently. He was wearing a face shield while jogging in Manhattan. He said that wearing a mask, if you discard the talk about protecting health, speaks of respect for others.

The governor of the state adheres to a similar point of view. “This mask says,“ I respect nurses and doctors who risk their lives to save other people, ”he said. This mask says, “I respect the mainstream workers who get up and take the bus or train or deliver food every day so I can stay home and be safe. And this is a statement that we should all be ready to make any day, but especially in the midst of (a pandemic - Ed.). "

As it gets warmer outside the window, more people rush to go out. This creates excellent conditions for the emergence of disputes between them: after all, some are convinced that it is necessary to wear a mask, and others that it is not.

State Governor Andrew Cuomo argues that people can be without a mask, walking alone, but must wear it if someone approaches. He himself on Tuesday described a dispute with a man without a mask, whom he encountered while walking the dog. “We had some minor disagreements, the conversation became a little tense. So I ended the conversation, ”Cuomo said.

Manhattan-based activist and graphic designer Elissa Stein, 55, took it a step further by making T-shirts that say “Put on the mask”. She says that when she wears it, people stare at her. However, she added that it was worth it given the rates. “It shouldn't be something that you take lightly,” she said. - I'm not kidding".

Do I need to wear a mask?

Under New York State law, you cannot be fined for not wearing a mask. Mayor Bill de Blasio said he prefers education rather than punishment, promising to distribute 7,5 million masks.

President Donald Trump refused to publicly wear a mask, although on Monday, May 11, the White House ordered everyone who visits the West Wing to wear a mask. This decision was made after some employees became infected with the coronavirus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises using face masks, because they can help prevent the transmission of the virus to people who have the virus, but they don’t know about it.

Norm Scott, a 63-year-old resident of Brooklyn, decided to publish on the Web the results of a study proving that the risk of spreading the virus outdoors, compared to indoor spread, is minimal. Scott said that he just wanted to see the situation from a different angle. “I’m not encouraging people to stop wearing masks,” Scott said, adding that he himself wears the mask in public. But, he added, “posting on public forums about how runners or millennials will infect us is ridiculous…. I believe in social responsibility. I don't believe in social censure. "

Partially adhering to the rule stimulates the business. So, in a popular store with muffins in Chelsea on the window was the inscription "mask required." This gave people in line an incentive to follow the rules, in other words: no mask, no cake.

But while disputes over the need to wear a mask do not subside, the townspeople continue to act in their own way. Some diligently wear a mask in public places, others wear it, but not by the rules - for example, on their neck and not on their faces, and still others prefer not to wear it at all.

As a recent study showed, the number of coronavirus victims in New York can be much higher than official data.