The Odd Difference Wearing A Mask Makes.

Ahead of the curve or laughably nerdy?

Stoically I keep my mask with me at all times when I am out in public. At times my mask is a bandanna of sorts and other times a proper one with ear loops. Honestly, it has been months since anyone has seen my whole face instead of two eyes trying to convey emotions ranging from joy, happiness, aghastness to despair.

The powers that be in our government have let the general public off the mask and wouldn't you know it, the very next day after the announcement, even highly educated individuals who should know better, ditched the mask and merrily went about life as close to normal as can be. Social distancing whilst out shopping was soon overstepped and get together with friends cushioned in the ' there was a breeze so the virus couldn't take hold ' excuse, which could very well have been but how to be sure to be on the right side of it?

These last few weeks I have been given the weirdest of looks, plenty of raised eyebrows and the odd double take along the line of ' drat, why am I not wearing a mask anymore? '. A few of the younger lot have given me mocking glances clearly not believing or not caring about the usefulness of wearing a mask in order to not spray all and sundry with virus droplets.

So far the world over it has been shown and almost proven that the wearing of masks ( along side social distancing and hand washing ) can break the freakishly fast way the corona virus hops from host to host. Actually, common sense proves that point because why else have we throughout all of our lives covered our mouth whilst coughing or sneezing?

We've had a couple of months of general lock-down here in Austria resulting in many job losses and economic disasters. Yes, the economy is up and running again but with the prospect of a second wave crashing over most of the world in autumn, is the dire prospect of a possible return to lock-down not reason enough to wear a mask regardless of if it is mandated or not? In the scheme of things, donning a mask for those moments out shopping etc is a small price to pay for keeping our jobs and a semblance of life as we are used to it...

Biggi