Mask Or No Mask??

The article below first appeared in the Delta Optimist this past week was written by Ingrid Abbott but was met with controversy from various individuals who do not share her view.

While this is an ongoing issue, from my perspective it’s all about safety and keeping our loved one’s alive.

This past summer (July) I lost my Stepdaughter Melissa Langer to Cancer and while it isn’t COVID related dealing with death isn’t something one can easily adjust to, given the state of my wife, thus the reason for the mask I had made as a tribute to her and the love she brought to everyone she touched.

Regardless of who you speak to, this is naturally causing concern for many individuals and as you can expect I am hearing from those involved in the sporting community.

Fair enough – everyone has issues, but here’s a new take on what we are looking at and I  welcome your input on this subject, so feel free to contact me via email at the following email address [email protected].

Let’s call a spade a spade,this all came to light this past week in part due to the fact that an Adult men’s hockey team traveled to Alberta for a tournament returning home causing issues to the community. 

 Clearly an unselfish act of stupidity!!

One would think, but not all do that this would be more of a common sense issue considering they were adults and I use that term very loosely. 

Ingrid states whether it’s our behavior in private or public “Common sense should guide us”, says provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

In order to avoid contracting and spreading COVID-19 we have been asked to use our common sense.  

Whether it’s our behavior in private or public, “Common sense should guide us”, says provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. 

Ingrid writes “What might be common sense to some is not necessarily what it is to another and common sense is defined as sound, practical judgment developed through life experience and calls for us to be aware and reflect on situations before making decisions.” 

She continues “Every day I make common sense decisions on how to protect myself and my family from the coronavirus.” 

The problem is that it’s a variable dependent on my personal view of the world and the limits of my experience. In other words common sense is objective. 

Did the woman from Tsawwassen who decided to have brunch with a friend in the city have common sense? 

The Vancouver police officer who pulled her over didn’t think so.  She got a hefty fine for travelling outside her health region and for meeting someone not in her household. 

In her mind common sense told her dining at a restaurant with protocols, and wearing masks was complying with new health orders, but it wasn’t. 

Anti-maskers reject the benefits of a face mask, they believe being forced to wear a mask is a violation of their freedom and liberty. 

Thankfully the majority of us know wearing a mask is common sense, unlike the man I saw in the Tsawwassen Canadian Tire proudly in violation of the mask wearing order. 

It was a Monday night at 8 pm and the poor cashier had to deal with his view of common sense. 

The Delta Teachers Association wants parents to encourage their kids to wear masks to school even though it’s not an order. 

Psychiatrists believe common sense begins around age 7, when decision making and the ability to understand the consequences of an action kick in. 

Sounds like common sense to me that children would be encouraged to take responsibility for their health and wear a mask. 

The pandemic is an intense life experience, and a great teaching moment to show respect for others.      

Please use your common sense when it comes to decision making during this second wave of the virus, my family’s well being is dependent upon you complying with health orders.  

It’s going to be a while until the spread of covid is under control so continue to be calm, be safe and be kind to one another.  

The above is a reprint with the permission from Ingrid Abbott who is a freelance broadcaster, writer and a person whom I have worked with at Delta TV, now Eastlink TV. 

While everyone has their own specific concern on this topic, realistically speaking we all want to stay healthy as it’s not easy visiting a grave site to visit a relative.

Ingrid did get a support letter on FB stating the following from an  unnamed source which is posted below.

Sorry Ingrid that your article was hung out like a hunk of red meat for some to try and rip it apart! I can’t see why anyone would have such an adverse reaction to it! 

Unless of course they don’t like having their own version of common sense brought into question under these circumstances . 

I listen to Bonnie Henry and I don’t find her guidelines confusing. It’s pretty clear, she doesn’t want people going for dinner with friends or socializing outside of your home and definitely no socializing inside. 

Or leaving your area unless it’s an emergency. 

And Brunch doesn’t qualify. Frankly we need rules because unfortunately common sense isn’t a given under these circumstances.