It has been just around a year of us all being in this pandemic. Masks have been here for at least 365 days, if not more. Why are people still throwing fits in regards to being told to wear a mask?

I work in a job where I have to come in contact with people often, and while we have preventative measures in place such as a plexiglass divider that hangs down at the service desk, spaced out public seating and quarantining procedures for our materials, we still require everybody in the building to wear a mask. Around five notices are posted in the entryway of the building alone, and at least one in every doorway and multiple in the halls.

Yet, I still see patrons throwing fits and getting angry about how wearing a mask is required in this public space. Nevermind the fact it is a state mandate, if a business has a sign posted “No shoes, no shirt, no service,” that is a policy that business has set in place that potential customers can either respect or not go there. This mindset should extend to mask policies as well.

Many people refuse to go to businesses that officially state they lean one way or the other on the political spectrum, so why do people choose to go to businesses that have policies about masks they dislike and berate them?

The high school grocery store worker you kick and scream at for asking you to wear a mask is not the person who made the policy and may not even personally agree with it. They are simply doing their job of enforcing storewide policy, and there is genuinely no reason to be screaming at them for doing their job.

Opening up Facebook, Instagram or YouTube, a quick search shows many videos and photos of people screaming at a Walmart, Goodwill and restaurant employees because they ask them to wear a mask. It is concerning how this is normalized behavior towards a state mandate.

I would understand if you are exempt from wearing a mask, such as having asthma, however you may need to find alternatives if you cannot wear a mask. There are services such as grocery delivery and curbside pickup. Online shopping has a large presence in 2021.

If you simply hate wearing a mask and think it impedes on your freedom, you have had a lot of time to turn to alternatives. You have had a year to save up and purchase a laptop so you don’t need to sit in the public library with a mask on to use the computers. You could have turned to online shopping, curbside pickup and much more.

Your choices should not harm others.