The moment I saw the news about ending mask mandates in Connecticut, I directly went to the World Health Organization’s website to check what they advise. The website says:

So as you can read from the writing, the first and the greatest authority about health and COVID-19 says that we should keep our masks indoors.  

Then why are some states ending mask protocols? It’s hard to understand why these states are putting people at risk. Covid has not ended yet, and we act like it has. It’s a fact that with the new variant (Omicron) the efficiency of the virus decreased, but it’s 2.7-3.7 times more infections than the Delta variant. It doesn’t mean that the virus doesn’t kill anymore, or doesn’t leave damage in people’s lungs. And maybe this variant is not as effective as the others, but the next variant could be more fatal. Ending mask mandates will cause more people to get COVID-19, and the virus will be able to update itself to another variant faster. Covid cases are decreasing for now but only three months ago the numbers peaked. 

Besides these, there are still many people who are not vaccinated. As much as I think their choices are not right (except children under 5 and immunocompromised people), they have the right to not get the vaccine. We should consider them too. People who are vaccinated are in a safer position, but still millions of not vaccinated are in hospitals right now. So, are we leaving them to death by ending restrictions?

You might think that it’s a move of liberation, and you might feel like no one can dictate what to do. But the real liberty is being out of the hospitals, being healthy, and safe and sound. Under the current circumstances, we all need to sacrifice our liberty. So the mask, and the vaccine are the keys of liberty. 

I don’t know you, but I’ll keep my mask on just like the World Health Organization recommends. I think making this decision is above the states. I am keeping my mask on for you, not for me. For public health. 

What You Need to Know about Omicron?

CDC Mask Guide