Letter: Properly wearing a mask should not be that hard

It's amazing that wearing a mask properly is so complicated for many people. If you buy a surgical or N95mask, the box shows pictures of how to wear one and they come with instructions.

For those wearing cloth masks they made or purchased without instructions, you could look around you to see how to properly wear one.

Too put it mildly, most 5-year-olds can figure out how to wear one properly, yet it's the adults who get confused as well as lazy.

I can't go into any store without seeing people who only have their mouths covered. I'm not just talking about those who've had a mask slide down over time, but those who put it on and choose not to cover their nose.

Then there are those who take their masks off so they can talk to you, thinking that you can't hear them through the mask and defeating the purpose of wearing a mask.

The studies show that if the nose isn't covered, the purpose of wearing a mask can be defeated since the nose appears to be better than the mouth at spreading the virus.

I've seen people wear masks that are not fit snugly on the person's face so it's easy for the virus to leak out, and I've seen masks with holes in them and some masks that look so beat up, dirty and old, it's probably the only one the wearer ever purchased.

Then there are those who refuse to wear a mask even though the store requires it. When signs said no shirt, no shoes, no service, people generally obeyed those signs.

Wear a surgical or N95 mask, wear it snugly and cover your nose.

Bruce Handler

Highland Park