Coronavirus Opinion

Masks are here to stay. We must get used to them.

Gerald Sastra/The Cougar

Gerald Sastra/The Cougar

For the last several months, masks have been making their way into our lives. We wear them everywhere: groceries stores, eating out or hanging out with friends at a local park. 

As there is more insight on an upcoming vaccine for the ongoing pandemic, masks won’t just go away or disappear; we’re going to be wearing them for a long time. So start upping your mask game because it is the latest fashion trend that everyone gets to take part in. 

When the mask order was first mandated, our international counterparts had been consistently wearing them for decades. Soon, we will do the same thing. 

Now, this statement is somewhat strong, but we have to think practically and reasonably. Masks won’t be worn 24/7, but people will wear them when it’s necessary, which could be during flu season or simply going to get some groceries. The possible reasons of someone wanting to wear a mask are endless. 

When we enter a post-pandemic society, there is a strong potential people will become socially responsible to keep themselves and everyone else around them as safe as possible. I know we want to prevent something like this to ever happen again. 

Like I’ve mentioned before, people are not going to wear masks 24/7, but will not hesitate to wear them when it is necessary. People might opt to wear a mask when they could potentially be sick, when cooler weather is around the corner or when visiting highly populated areas, like grocery stores.

It is likely people will be aware of wearing masks during colder months of the year. A lot of us aren’t used to extreme winter temperatures, so there is going to be that sense of responsibility to wear one in order to prevent ourselves from coming down with a cold or flu-like sickness and spreading something to someone else. 

The necessity in wearing a mask can also come into place during the travel season as well. Due to the pandemic being considered an international health crisis, there’s potential that masks will be mandated at international airports as you travel from one place to another, whether it’s domestic or internationally. 

Just make sure to wear a cute one so you can stand out from the crowd. Come on, they’re a fashion statement now.

Since everything seems to be up in the air right now, who knows, maybe face masks will be a thought of the past, something we read in our history books. 

Constant fear, memories from the past and reminiscing over what could’ve been if the pandemic never happened will make wearing a face mask a symbolic movement to prevent something like COVID-19 from ever happening again.

For more of The Cougar’s coronavirus coverage, click here.

Saira Haque is an anthropology junior who can be reached at [email protected]

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