It’s Monday and we’re already mid-way through August, almost two-thirds of the way through the year. If the years are short but the days are long, what does that make the months?

I ran an errand yesterday to my local home improvement store. I had to return some things and pick up a couple of others.

It’s still COVID-19 season, so the sign on the door says, “Masks required beyond this point.” I have visited the store a few times recently and have worn a mask and have not worn a mask. I decided not to wear a mask this time. As I walked in with other customers, they were putting on masks, while those leaving the store were taking them off. I didn’t see anyone without a mask.

I waited my turn, sans mask, while social distancing according to the red Xs taped to the floor at the “Returns” counter at the front of the store. After I completed my transaction, I walked toward the main aisle that led to the store’s innards. As I walked, the other cashier at Returns asked me if I was going into the store.

“Yes, I am.”

“You need to wear a mask.”

“I can’t wear one,” I responded as I kept walking.

“It’s store policy.”

“I can’t wear one.”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him pick up a phone and his voice immediately came over the store intercom asking someone to come to the front. I was going to be pursued and confronted by a manager.

I spent a few minutes finding the light bulbs I needed, then walked to the end of the aisle. There I was approached by a guy in a company shirt with his name tag pinned on his chest—the store manager. He wore a tight fitting mask over his nose and mouth and asked if I was finding everything okay.

Yes, I replied, but I still needed some epoxy, which he offered to help me find. As we walked along, he said, “I know you’re not wearing a mask, but when you check out, could you put your hand over your mouth?”

“Sure, I can do that,” I replied. He said he appreciated that, and thanked me for being cool about it.

After he helped me locate the epoxy, I thanked him and started walking toward the front of the store.

“Are you checking out?” he asked.

“Yep, I’m good. Thanks again.”

“Well,” he said, “I can walk you up there,” and fell in alongside me. I took two or three steps and, without breaking stride, I turned to look at him and said, “Are you literally escorting me through the store because I don’t have a mask on?”

Technically, of course, I can wear a mask. I choose not to wear one because surgical or cloth masks aren’t necessary for a healthy person. According to MedicineNet, a subsidiary of WebMD (with my emphasis):

Face masks can play a role in preventing the infection, but that role is limited. A healthy individual in a normal situation does not need to wear a mask, as per CDC recommendations. A face mask is not the ideal solution for protection from the new coronavirus for the following reasons:

◦ A surgical mask does not fit tightly over the nose and mouth.
◦ It is not possible to prevent airborne virus infection.
◦ It is difficult to keep a mask on for long periods of time.
◦ When you touch the mask, you lose the protection …

In other words, for a healthy person, a mask makes no difference. None. “It is not possible to prevent airborne virus infection.”

On the other hand, MedicineNet goes on to say,

A surgical face mask is highly recommended for people who have the coronavirus infection or have a high risk of exposure. It offers a certain amount of protection against infection from your own hands or droplets from the cough or sneeze of an infected person. You should wear a face mask if

◦ you are infected and sick with the virus,
◦ you are caring for a person infected with the virus,
◦ you are a health worker, or
◦ you are in contact with infected people …

A mask is an ineffective form of protection for a healthy person going about their everyday life, while it offers limited protection for someone who already has the Asian Contagion or who works around others who have it.

I am a reasonably healthy person who does not have the Peking Lung Pox and is not afraid of getting it. In other words, my mask does nothing for me and doesn’t protect you. So why do I have to wear a mask?

The answer most people will give is, “because what if you have COVID but don’t know you have it? You’re putting others at risk! Are you willing to kill someone just so you can feel like you’re stickin’ it to the man?”

My answer should be, “Masks don’t work.” But let’s get even more fundamental. When did it become my responsibility to make sure you don’t get sick?

Think of the implications. If we are now responsible to make sure other people don’t get sick and die, then the logical next step is to wear masks during flu season. Thousands of people die from the flu every year. Not as many as COVID-19 has killed but, still, a life is a life. We want to minimize the number of deaths, right?

My objection to being ordered to wear a mask is that it puts the burden of responsibility on me to control something I can’t control when it comes to others’ health and safety. No smoking? I can control that. Stay in my lane? I can control that. Fire pits must be 100 ft from any dwelling? I can control that.

Don’t get others sick? Impossible.

If you’re afraid of getting COVID-19, how about you wear a mask? If you’re in the higher-risk population, how about you self-isolate? We’ve never quarantined an entire population to keep from getting people sick. Instead, we’ve quarantined the sick.

I can’t wear a mask because it’s a misplaced responsibility that I’m not going to carry.

As my in-store chaperon and I continued our walk to the front, I offered him a bit of my rationale and he seemed sympathetic. “I know,” he said, “it’s crazy, but it’s store policy.”

When we arrived at the check out lanes, each had five or six customers in line. I could tell he didn’t want me standing there without a mask.

He said, “Come with me,” and led me over to a lane that was closed. He pushed open the gate blocking the entrance, let me in and closed the gate behind us. Then he swiped his card to unlock the register and proceeded to scan and bag my items. I took my receipt, thanked him and he wished me a good day as I grabbed my bag and walked out.

And, just like that, I was motivated to leave my mask at home the next time, too.