Do you wear a mask to fight the pandemic? Here’s what your Whatcom neighbors are doing
Few topics are more controversial amid the new coronavirus pandemic than the issue of wearing protective face masks.
After first saying that face masks don’t limit the spread of COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now urges cloth face coverings for everyone when social distancing of six feet apart can’t be maintained.
“It protects those around me, to a degree,” Rick Pannemann of Bellingham told The Bellingham Herald in an email. “If there’s a possibility of encountering a substantial number of people, I wear it inside and out.”
Ginger Larsen of Bellingham said via the Bellingham Living page on Facebook that she wears a mask in public.
“I wear my mask to protect others,” Larsen said. “I’m not completely insane about it. I don’t wear (a mask) while I’m driving my car because that’s just silly.”
In general, there are two kinds of masks — factory-made N95 coverings to safeguard the wearer, and single-use paper or reusable fabric ones to shield others from the wearer.
Masks at county offices
Masks are required in the Whatcom County Courthouse, where many county departmental offices are located, including the executive, council and auditor’s offices.
Employees and visitors to the County Courthouse are required to wear masks in the building’s public areas, County Executive Satpal Sidhu told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“Employees are not required to wear masks when they are at their desk. The county has provided employees with some helpful protocols for physical distancing. These protocols are subject to change as guidance from health experts is revised and refined,” he wrote.
Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department, said its employees must wear a cloth face covering while at work when in the presence of others, but not if they are alone in their offices.
“I wear a mask when I am in public places and am unable to maintain six feet of distance from others,” Lautenbach said in an email. “I also wear a mask when I am in the office when others are present.”
Masks urged in public spaces
Bellingham International Airport began requiring masks last week and Costco started making its shoppers wear them as of May 4, 2020.
Other businesses, such as the Community Food Co-op, prefer their customers to mask up.
“Employees are required to wear a face covering, a mask or a shield, depending on their preference,” said Amy Esary, the Co-op’s marketing and outreach manager.
She told The Herald that masks soon will be required of customers.
“Right now, we strongly encourage it,” Esary said. “We recognize that some people might not have access to masks, so it’s an equity issue.”
Masks and health concerns
Some people also have health reasons for not wearing a mask, including those who have difficulty breathing and those who dislike the sensation of covering their faces, said Erin Leigh McKenzie of Bellingham, who is autistic.
“Masks are a sensory nightmare for me,” McKenzie told The Herald on Facebook. “But I still wear one whenever I go more than a few steps outside. Why? Because that’s just the price I pay to live in a functioning and respectful society. My mask protects me from others and others from me. Masks and frequent hand-washing will lead to a healthier society.”
McKenzie said she wishes more people would wear masks, especially in the student neighborhood near downtown where she lives.
Wearing a mask has become something of a political statement, especially since President Trump refuses to do so, even though many members of his staff and administration do wear them — and so do many heads of state around the world.
Anger over restrictions
Violent confrontations have been reported over the issue nationwide, including the fatal shooting of a store security guard in Michigan.
Gina Jeffries of Skagit County told The Herald on Facebook that wearing a mask is “sheep compliance” that she refuses to follow.
“The government can’t dictate what I wear,” she said. “Cloth masks do not stop viruses. Can I say that again? Masks give a false sense of security. It’s like putting up a chain-link fence to stop mosquitoes.”
Christy Rodelas of Bellingham said she doesn’t wear a mask.
“If you are worried about getting sick from me, then go ahead and wear yours,” Rodelas said on Facebook. “If I want to take a risk with my health, that’s my choice.”
But a Politico/Morning Consult poll last week showed that a majority of Americans and a majority of Republicans also think Trump should wear a mask.
“This isn’t a conservative or liberal issue,” Sidhu said. “Masks are going to be part of our response to this pandemic because that’s one of the ways we can slow the spread. We hope all our fellow community members will follow the guidance of public health experts when it comes to wearing face coverings or masks despite the inconvenience.”
Fleetwood wears a mask
Other elected officials in Whatcom County are taking the issue of masks seriously.
“I have masks with me at all times,” Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood told The Herald in an email.
“I now wear a mask when I cannot ensure appropriate physical distance from other people,” Fleetwood said. “I wear a mask when I go to the grocery store. I attend many meetings via Zoom, and wear a mask at in-person meetings if physical distancing might be a concern. On my morning walk each day, I choose my route carefully to avoid other people and carry a mask with me to wear if I need it.”
Fleetwood said city employees are required to comply with Whatcom County Health Department recommendations regarding mask use.
“We communicate health requirements regularly, such as reminders about washing hands, sanitizing surfaces, staying home if employees have COVID-19 symptoms, and wearing masks in settings where employees cannot maintain at least six feet of distance from other people. We will continue to follow Health Department recommendations and directives as we implement Gov. Jay Inslee’s phased approach to resuming government services.”
Controversy over wearing masks in public comes as mobile phone data indicates that Whatcom County residents are leaving home more, especially for shopping and parks, according to Google’s Community Mobility Reports.
And Unacast’s online Social Distancing Scoreboard gives Whatcom County a D rating.
‘Poor marks’ for post office
Jackie Tamfer of Bellingham called The Herald to say that U.S. Postal Service offices in Bellingham aren’t setting an example for the public or taking steps to keep customers safe.
“I give poor marks to the post office, the post office is doing a terrible job,” Tamfer said in a voice mail.
Other Whatcom County residents have offered the same criticism in social media comments, saying that the offices lack hand sanitizer, masks aren’t required, and social distancing isn’t enforced among customers in line for service.
Local U.S. Postal Service officials referred questions to an official in Seattle, who hasn’t returned phone calls.
Masks worn incorrectly
Jimmy Archer of Bellingham told The Herald in an email that he doesn’t wear a mask.
“I believe it is futile for several reasons,” Archer wrote.
“It is nearly impossible to truly use a mask properly,” he wrote, citing CDC and World Health Organization fact sheets. “I see nearly everyone wearing a mask violating one of the CDC ‘don’ts’ every time I see someone with a mask. Noses not under the mask, masks way too loose, repeatedly touching or lifting the mask, masks on mirrors in cars, so they are obviously being reused.”
He said that non-medical masks, such as scarves, bandannas and neck gaiters are worthless, too.
“Now, I am not blaming or accusing mask wearers. I believe it is nearly impossible in real life, day-to-day scenarios to properly use PPE,” Archer wrote. “So basically if masks aren’t being used properly, which the vast majority are not, then the masks are almost irrelevant.”
Bellingham real-estate agent Mary McIntosh said she wears a mask when she’s shopping or showing homes.
“I do so to protect others,” she said on Facebook. “I don’t wear a mask when I’m walking my dog or outside in the yard. I don’t get close enough to other people to make it necessary.”
But she still hates the mask.
“They slip down my face and expose my nose, they are hard to breathe through, and it’s hard to talk to people through it,” McIntosh said. “They also fog my glasses when I have glasses on. I find myself unaware my mask is exposing my nose, or I pull it down to breathe and don’t pull it up immediately. “
