Hey, SLO County: COVID masks don’t work if they’re dangling from your ears

At this point, we all have face masks, right?

Many of us have multiples in different colors and styles.

Some of us even have entire wardrobes, to match our outfits or the occasion.

But here’s the thing: It’s not enough to just have the masks. We actually have to wear them — properly.

That’s not happening. Even as coronavirus cases skyrocket in San Luis Obispo County, we’re seeing too many people walking around with bare faces.

We understand that for medical reasons, some people are unable to wear face coverings.

We’re not talking about them.

Nor are we talking about folks who, for political reasons, refuse to mask up — though we will point out that even President Trump was recently spotted wearing a mask in public.

Beyond that, we’re not going to waste our breath (or our ink) on morally challenged anti-maskers who believe their right to “personal freedom” trumps our right to health and safety.

Nope, today we focus on the lackadaisical maskers.

You know, the ones who wear their mask dangling from one ear, like an earring.

Or underneath their nose.

Or — even worse — below their chin.

Worse still, they have no face covering at all, because they forgot it at home. Or they’ll just be in the store for a minute. Or the dog ate it.

You’ll see them at the local doughnut shop or convenience store or service station — places that may not be super scrupulous about enforcing the mask rule.

And who can blame them, with so many stories out there about people going ballistic went they are politely told that they must mask up in public places.

But it’s not just customers who are the problem.

We’ve spotted a few employees — and we emphasize, they are in the minority — who are under the impression that the rules do not apply to them. Because you know, it’s their place of business and they can do as they please.

Um, they can’t.

Anyone interacting with customers or clients really should wear a mask.

For one thing, it’s the law, even though it’s not being enforced.

For another, do businesses really want people badmouthing them on Nextdoor?

If that’s still not enough of an incentive, consider this: Masks can keep us well.

It turns out that even cloth face coverings may offer the wearer some protection from the coronavirus.

That’s contrary to early reports that warned that cloth face masks primarily protect those around us, but don’t offer protection to the wearer.

Hence the saying: My mask protects you; your mask protects me.

That thinking is changing.

This is from an early version of a report to be published by the CDC: “Masks may be used by healthy persons to protect them from acquiring respiratory infections; some randomized controlled trials have shown masks to be efficacious in closed community settings. ...”

The Los Angeles Times put the latest findings in lay terms: “If you’re unlucky enough to encounter an infectious person, wearing any kind of face covering will reduce the amount of virus that your body will take in.”

That’s encouraging, and it’s all the more reason to be religious about wearing masks — preferably ones that are reasonably comfortable and well-fitting enough that they will stay in place without the need for constant adjustment.

(Side note: If you haven’t already seen it, check out this mask hack on TikTok on how to get a better fit on surgical-type masks. It’s a great way to eliminate side gaps.)

Bottom line: San Luis Obispo County is not in some magical, protected bubble. It may have seemed like that initially, but no longer.

We’re now up to 1,078 positive cases, including 359 active ones, and we need to throw everything we have into this fight: frequent hand washing, physical distancing, avoiding crowds, staying home if we’re sick and masks.

Don’t leave home without one. And remember, it’s not an earring.