Picture of the Day: "A group of people standing outdoors wearing

Picture of the Day: "A group of people standing outdoors wearing masks over their mouths. This was probably during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. One of the women has a sign in front of her reading 'Wear a mask or go to jail.’ Credit: Mill Valley Public Library/Internet Archive/ Raymond Coyne

It looks like the debate around masks has existed for quite a while! I’m pro-masks and I wear a mask whenever I go out, and I highly recommend everyone to do so. Wearing a mask reduces community transmission of the coronavirus and protects you and everyone else from the deadly COVID-19 disease.

“What about my freedom?” Your freedom stops being “freedom” if that freedom has the potential to inflict harm on others. Also, if you think you’re free NOT to wear a mask, others are also free NOT to deal with you or offer you their services. If you think your freedom is more important and valuable than their freedom, then your concept of freedom is flawed.

“It’s hard to breathe with the mask on!” It’s even harder to breathe when you get COVID-19.  Think about yourself and others who won’t be able to breathe completely if you didn’t wear one. You infect them and put them on ventilators. Maybe wearing a mask will obstruct your breathing a little, but it’s less harmful then putting 10 people on ventilators. You might not care about them because they’re not part of your family, but put yourself in their families’ position. They have loved ones who care about them.

All in all, I recommend wearing masks. The science speaks for it and so does common sense.

Hashem Al-Ghaili