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Letter: ’What I believe about mask wearing’

Here is what I know: we as people are expected to wear our masks to protect others; if we are not wearing our masks, we are “endangering others”; if we do not wear our masks, many accuse us of “not caring about others and being selfish.”

Here is what I believe: there needs to be a choice; we need to function with logic and care for others, but that doesn’t mean giving up individual choice or holding unrealistic expectations of others and then getting mad at people who do not fulfill them.

If we are scared of a virus and feel that our community is not doing its part to protect us, then shouldn’t we protect ourselves, rather than putting our safety in others’ hands? When we are dealing with something that we do not want to inhale, like sawdust, we put a mask on that protects us from that substance but also lets us breathe out. I understand that sawdust is bigger than a virus, but since we are expected to wear masks because of a virus, they must protect against viruses as well.



It is unlikely that everyone is going to wear their mask or wear it effectively. Masks generally protect the wearer more than the surrounding people, because when you breathe in, the mask is pulled into your face tighter, and when you breathe out, the mask is pushed away from you, allowing air particles and viruses to escape.

Why do we continue to shame people that disagree with us, when we could be protecting ourselves rather than making others protect us? If we feel that we are in danger, shouldn’t we simply wear an effective mask with an exhale port that is designed to protect the wearer, so that it doesn’t matter what anyone else chooses?



Then those of us who feel they do not need to wear a mask, don’t have to. If I feel as though I am in lethal danger, then why am I trusting someone else to “do their part” and protect me? We are never going to be fully protected from a virus, but we could be best protected by wearing a quality mask designed to protect the person wearing it, rather than relying on others.

There is never going to be a solution that everyone will agree with, but there can be a choice.

Lyndi Voyvodic

Steamboat Springs


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