Keeping mask on in public makes most sense

On my regular walks I frequently encounter people not wearing masks who hurriedly put one on when they see me, and then remove them again as soon as they pass. This is a useless gesture.

To understand why, imagine for a moment someone walking along puffing on a cigarette. You will observe that this person trails a visible cloud of smoke for some yards behind, and you will smell the smoke for several breaths after the smoker passes, even after it is no longer visible.

To make the case truly analogous, you must imagine that the person is exhaling a cloud of smoke with every breath. Whenever you smell the smoke you are breathing in the smoker’s exhalations. The smoke consists of tiny particles that are carried on the breath in the same way that viral particles are carried, only the virus cannot be seen or smelled. Viral particles, being smaller and lighter than smoke particles, stay airborne longer and are carried farther.

So after the unmasked walker passes, I then have to walk through a cloud of the exhaled and unfiltered particles for some distance. There is no way to be absolutely certain the virus is not spreading. Even completely asymptomatic people can be carriers and spreaders.

For joggers, the situation is much worse, since the exhaling is forceful and the runner’s breath travels much farther.

I know masks are a pain; I don’t like using them myself. But even if you think the whole thing is overblown, please, for the sake of the vulnerable in our community, do not expose them to the risk you may be wrong. Their health and safety is much more important than your convenience. Please wear your mask all the time, even when nobody is in sight.