DOING THEIR ‘DUTY’
Residents say, yes, they will wear a mask
It was a strange sight: 60 degrees and sunny on a perfect spring day, but while walking her dog across the Boston Public Garden, Chelsea Hough wore a fleecelined ski mask over her face.
“It’s really more to protect others than to protect myself,” she said, holding a fresh bouquet of flowers.
Hough, like many Boston residents who ventured out on a breezy Monday, heeded Mayor Martin Walsh’s latest call to action in the fight against the coronavirus — cover up. Walsh advised all Bostonians to wear a face covering if they need to leave their homes, even if it’s just for a walk across the park.
“I’ll give him credit. Him saying it, I felt like I really got permission, like you know what? Do your civic duty, and do it,” said Back Bay resident Jon Williams, who wore a surgical mask as he crossed Charles Street.
The mayor’s advisory, which follows the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation, provided muchneeded clarity for locals who weren’t sure whether they were supposed to be covering up, and when.
“I thought, is it too conservative? They aren’t that comfortable. But at some point, you have to give up your comfort,” Williams said.
Walsh said he hopes local people’s efforts to mask up will prevent spread of the virus from asymptomatic carriers: people who may be infected with COVID-19, but feel fine enough to go to the store or out for a walk. Officials estimate these individuals may make up as much as 25% of positive coronavirus cases.
But it looked like for every two masked walkers out on the Common Monday, there was at least one bare-faced person out and about. Walsh’s advisory is just that: and advisory, not a directive. People shopping and walking around Boston cannot be reprimanded for disregarding it.
“When he came out with the proclamation, I was all about it,” said Beacon Hill resident Melanie Bertani, who said she was “disappointed” that not everyone had chosen to cover up Monday. “People should be taking it more seriously, and it’s not that big of a deal to wear one.”
Finding a mask, on the other hand, is a big challenge locally. Boston resident Patrick Mulroy called it “impossible” to buy a mask at this point in the pandemic.
“I was at the Home Depot the other day, and there was actually a fight in line between people trying to get the last dust mask,” he said.
In lieu of a true face mask, Walsh said it’s fine to fashion a bandana, scarf, or other type of cloth, so long as the wearer’s nose and mouth are covered.
“Everyone’s walking around with improvised stuff, so it’s a little bit apocalyptic. It makes you more nervous, it’s scary. It’s bizarre. I was wearing one earlier and I thought it looked weird, but I looked around, and everyone had one,” Mulroy said.