In New York City most people wear masks. Just yesterday I passed a New York street yelling match of one aggrieved non-mask wearer being heckled by others with covered mouths. His uncovered mouth was spewing very foul words and, who knows, maybe some virus to boot. The New York Times had a very interesting street corner study of the prevalence of mask wearing in Gotham.

It is a darn shame that mask wearing has become a political battle instead of a public health battle. Public health experts assert that while masks do not prevent the transmission of the coronavirus but can decrease the chances of spreading the illness by 75%. I’ll take any help I can get, regardless of the many types of mask you can choose.

Don’t know if you have tried this but I have recently found myself doing a weird practice. On the rare occasions when I encounter a non-mask wearer in the city I instinctively find myself gathering my breath to steadily breath outward through my mask as I pass them. I call it mask huffing. Don’t know if it helps, but I’ll take any edge I can find. Stay well. Stay safe.

As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes