To The Editor,

To mask, or not to mask. That seems to be the question everyone is toying with these days.

As businesses open up, it’s heartening to see the precautions being taken by shop owners. They know they need the revenue. They also know that they need to protect themselves and their employees. I applaud them and totally understand why the economy has to “open up.”

However, when the news photos pan in on patrons of businesses, I’m not seeing the same level of concern.

Half are taking precautions, but the other half are maskless and gathering in crowds almost flaunting their opposition.

This question of wearing masks is not a matter of opinion; it is a matter of scientific fact. Viruses can spread through the air. COVID-19 is particularly devastating. New research is considering that this virus initially spread through ventilating systems of buildings. It is also spread by touch, and it seems to really like humans.

How much of a sacrifice is it to wear a mask and wash your hands when you go in public? Does this “sacrifice” equate to the Bataan Death March of WWII or rushing into the Twin Towers to rescue people on 9-11? I don’t think so.

A recent “Blue Bloods” rerun featured the NYPD tracking down a serious threat to the city. At the end of the episode Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) said this: “It’s easy to make decisions to protect eight million people on our island; it’s harder to see how it affects one person or one family. When you lose sight of that, you’ve lost your humanity.”

Every one of those clerks in a store or waiters in a restaurant that you visit has a family to return to each night. Thank just one of those people who helped you with a purchase by wearing a mask and washing your hands. Keep your humanity.

Sharon Dieckmann

Innsbrook