MASKS: Girls, listen up

Costco, as well as several other stores in the area, has a mask mandate. I noticed while shopping at these stores that there were a lot of shoppers not wearing their masks. I asked customer service why they did not enforce wearing masks, and all replied that they did not want a confrontation with customers.

A few days ago, I was in the checkout line at Costco when I saw a manager politely ask three teenage girls in line next to me to put on their masks. I thanked him for saying something to the girls and complimented him for enforcing the mandate. The girls put on their masks until he was out of sight and then took them off. They giggled, and I heard the older one say, “I can’t catch it. I can’t spread it,” referring to COVID-19. I almost said something to them about how easily the virus could spread but decided not to.

Later that night, I got a call about a friend who died from the virus. His wife unknowingly contracted it and passed it on to him. A few days later, he was having breathing difficulty and was admitted to the hospital’s COVID wing and died two days later.

Sadly, Costco’s girls don’t believe the virus is real and how easily it can infect others. It will only become real to them if they, their friends, or family members become infected. Hopefully, we will have a vaccine before they have a tragedy in their life.

Please follow medical guidelines and wear your mask to curtail the spread of this dangerous virus.

JACK EVENSIZER

Dalton Gardens