Saturday, May 16, 2020

Please contain your own disgusting spittle ...


This is my favorite meme of the morning, shared by a couple of social media friends --- warning against the hazards of paying too much attention to our friends with old-fashioned TV-M.D. certification who now are equipped with degrees from that new-fangled YouTube University.

Every couple of months I pull the plug on a social media "friend" whose zeal exceeds my patience. I don't care about opinions that differ from mine --- although racist or homophobic material brings down an automatic ax. Yesterday's offender shared a series of "informational" memes and links alleging that face coverings can be hazardous to your health, one after another. Zap.

The Centers for Disease Control recommend that everyone --- with the possible exception of small children or those with chronic respiratory problems --- wear face coverings (sometimes called a mask) in situations where social distancing is a challenge --- at the grocery store, at the greenhouse or during the opening frenzy at Chariton's new Bomgaars store, for example.

These are simple cloth or paper coverings intended primarily to protect others from your disgusting spittle --- the principal means of sharing the COVID-19 virus if you happen to be infected. If everyone would wear a covering to contain their own spittle --- we'd all be safer.

These are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators which should be worn only by the professionals who need them and who understand how and when they should be used.

Iowa's various restrictions are being lifted now and we can argue to kingdom come about the wisdom of that, but the social distancing rules and recommendations remain in effect and are likely to continue for a long time. Get used to it.

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