Why we may still mask

If you see people who continue to mask as masking requirements are lifted, here are some thoughts that may be helpful to remember :

• People may have cancer
• People may have autoimmune diseases
• People may have unvaccinated children at home
• People may have high-risk loved ones they are protecting
• People may have asthma and have realized over the last year that their symptoms are alleviated by a mask outdoors.
• People may have symptoms but be unable to stay home, they could be protecting you from the flu or a cold.

That woman wearing a mask, alone in her car? She may be on her way to pick up a cancer patient, a newborn, or an unvaccinated family member and not want any chance of her breathing in that vehicle making her passenger sick. That guy who appears healthy to you, masking in a store that doesn't require it? He could be at high risk, unvaccinated, or protecting a loved one at home from exposure.Even if a person looks or acts different than you expect, those behaviors came about for a reason. Seeking to understand why can open hearts and minds to different points of view and reveal common ground.Assumption and judgement are twin pandemics that only empathy and kindness can cure.