Masks are a hot-button issue permeating America today. There has been a lot of debate over civil rights and if they align with wearing masks. Masks are a way to slow the spread of an illness or group of illnesses. According to the CDC, “If you are not fully vaccinated and aged 2 or older, you should wear a mask in indoor public places.” 

Do masks really help? According to Kaitlyn Inglis, a twelfth grader at Bob Jones, “They are helpful in stopping, or at least lowering, the spread of COVID-19 or other illnesses.” Another Bob Jones student, Kaitlyn Hathaway, said, “I think they are helpful in keeping sicknesses at bay and keeping everyone from getting sick.” This shows that a portion of the population does believe that masks are helpful and fleshes out the reason why certain people wear them. Some people are more neutral on the topic of masks. For example, Sergio Rivera said, “I think if you wear em, you wear em and if you don’t wear one, you don’t wear one.” There are people that also have taken a different approach to the question. Elizabeth Riley said, “I don’t wear a mask and I think they are pointless because COVID is not just going to go away.” This could reflect the ideas behind some of the population’s choice to not wear masks simply because they believe that people will get sick regardless. 

With some people believing masks are helpful and some people leaning the opposite way there is one question: should you wear a mask when sick? According to the CDC, “You should wear a mask, even if you do not feel sick. This is because several studies have found that people with COVID-19 who never develop symptoms and those who are not yet showing symptoms can still spread the virus to other people.”  Kaitlyn Hathaway said, “I think if you are sick and have to go into a public place, it’s common courtesy to wear a mask for all of the people who aren’t sick around you.” Masks can be a helpful tool for you to use when you go out in order to protect yourself and others. Bob Jones student Samantha Robbins said, “Even if it’s not COVID, you can still cause others to get sick.”

All in all, research has proven masks to be helpful for when you or those around you are sick with Covid-19 or another viral illness. This heavily suggests the use of masks when sick because they could prevent small or large epidemics from occurring. With all of this in mind, I recommend wearing a mask when you are sick, even if it is just a common cold.