We’ve learned a lot about COVID-19 since the novel coronavirus was first discovered in the United States back in February: that as many as 40% of the people infected with the virus show no symptoms, that children can get quite ill and die from the disease.
We’ve also learned that good hygiene, social distancing, and wearing a mask are your best defense — as long as everyone does it. So why is something as simple as wearing a mask so controversial?
Why is there resistance to wearing face masks in the U.S.?
Social distancing along with face masks can help stop the spread of the virus
But even 100% compliance with mask guidelines would not be enough to curb COVID-19 infections. Social distancing] is just as important. According to the CDC, “Social distancing, also called ‘physical distancing,’ means keeping a safe space between yourself and other people who are not from your household.”
That means staying a minimum of 6 feet away from other people who are not from your household in BOTH indoor and outdoor spaces. (As we now know, the virus can be carried quite a long distance by aerosols).
But no matter how diligently you follow public health guidelines, there seems to always be someone who doesn’t take them seriously: From that person crowding you in the check-out line to a boss or co-worker who insists on getting too close. There are even reports of friendships breaking up over this issue.
“We’re all feeling increasingly irritable and frustrated, lonely, anxious, and bored,” clinical psychologist Mirian Kirmayer told The Atlantic. “So we then have less patience for those around us. This is obviously true in romantic relationships; we take out our frustrations on the people that we’re closest to, because we have a certain level of felt security. To some extent, that can also happen in friendships.”
Kirmayer suggests that treating friends with empathy can go a long way towards preserving your relationship during this time — and trying to find out exactly why they feel so resistant can be a way to help them help themselves.
“Gestures such as sharing a FaceTime cooking session, making a cloth mask for someone, or sending a link to an at-home haircut or hair-color video tutorial could go a long way. In a pandemic, everyday life is harder by an order of magnitude because people can’t physically be together. But we can try to metaphorically meet our friends where they are,” she said.
