Wearing a mask is a simple way to prevent the spread of COVID-19

I’ve been working from home since March 13 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And since March, I’ve been wearing a mask every time I go to the store, or pick up food from a restaurant. Four months of mask wearing. Here in South Carolina, unfortunately, our COVID-19 infection rate is rising. Despite that alarming increase, people still aren’t wearing masks.

Admittedly, initial guidance on whether we need to wear masks was muddled and confusing, but over the last few months, the consensus among health experts is clear: Wearing a mask helps prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If you are wearing masks when you go out, thank you. If not, here are a couple of tips for comfortably wearing a mask.

Find a style that works for you. The first masks I wore were ones that I had in the garage for working in the yard. And yes, they were uncomfortable. I ordered reversible cloth masks for our whole family from our friend, Sally, and that’s been a much more comfortable solution for me. Find something that works for you. There are other face covering styles that may work better for your face, hairstyle or preference. We’ve purchased a few different styles of masks from Target. Finding something comfortable is the first step to wearing them regularly.
Socially awkward. Accept that wearing a mask in public is awkward. You can’t communicate with facial expressions. You might feel a little silly, especially surrounded by people who aren’t wearing masks. It’s okay that it feels awkward, but it’s the right thing to do. I imagine that seatbelts once felt awkward. Now I don’t even back out of the driveway without my seatbelt on.
Keep a couple of spare masks in your car. It’s easy to forget your mask when you leave the house. I keep a few one-time use masks in my car to use if I leave my mask at home. Having a backup means that you don’t have to worry when you run into a store.
Only support businesses that require their staff to wear masks. When restaurants first started to close because of Coronavirus restrictions, I went out of my way to support local businesses. I didn’t want our favorite restaurants to close because of the pandemic and I felt like it was important to take care of our community. Now, I’m disappointed to see some of the restaurants I supported aren’t requiring their staff to wear masks. If I visit a restaurant or a store that isn’t taking my safety seriously, I’m going somewhere else. (To be honest, I'd rather store owners require everyone in the store to wear masks.)
Why can’t things just go back to normal? I get it. We all want things to go back to normal. But COVID-19 is still a problem and things won’t be “normal” until we slow the spread of the disease.

The reality is that we’ll be wearing masks for the foreseeable future. When I return to the office in August, I’ll be wearing a mask. I’m taking a grad school class in the fall and I’ll be wearing a mask in class. In the midst of a pandemic, remember that wearing a mask is one way to protect the people we love and respect.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. And he wears a mask to protect his community.