Mask fatigue amid never-ending pandemic

    

We do wear masks, habitually indoors at stores, etc.

Steve relaxes outdoors at a South Beach restaurant, near Miami.

     A girlfriend was succienct in her complaint: "I hate wearing a mask," she said. "It fogs up my glasses!"

    Mask fatigue is a real issue in the current pandemic, now in its second year. Most anyone I know is heartily and completely tired of masking-up but do wear masks when necessary.

    I thought about this topic, especially a few weeks ago when we caught some rays in sunny Miami Beach, Fla. We sat on South Beach, a safe distance from others, and noticed almost everyone wore a mask onto the beach until they were sitting down, sunning or reading.

    Fast forward to televised news reports several days later. There were hundreds of college kids, on spring break, partying on the streets and not wearing masks. It was easy to see how peer pressure and the quest to be "normal" again affects the youth, especially, those in their teens and early 20's.

    I don't know about you, but many people in that phase of life are not the most patient folks and sometimes, they just don't feel like following rules. I get that.

    So how does one exactly enforce a mask mandate? Good question.

    I ran and walked regularly in Florida, carrying a mask in one hand, and putting it on if a crowd of folks approached. It was mainly in the early-morning hours, and not many people were on the board walk that runs along many beach communities in southeast Florida.

    "Mask fatigue" is an actual condition, according to experts at the National Institute of Health. Among other issues, wearing a mask all day long can cause skin problems such as contact dermatitis. 

    Many of us dislike the masks because they are uncomfortable, or like my friend, fog up easily when wearing glasses. It is most unpleasant to wear a mask while jogging -- I promise you that!

    Yet we go on. In Year Two of the pandemic, husband, Steve, and I were vaccinated April 6. The final, second dose is set for April 28. We doggedly continue to wear masks in public, especially indoors.

    I wash the masks regularly and we keep several around the house, in my purse, and in both cars.

    Sometimes we forget, even today. Usually it's easy to spot someone in a mask and that helps us to remember. 

    But mask-wearing has pretty much become a habit. 

    It's hard to think when one might feel comfortable in a crowd, WITHOUT a mask. Fast forward to the college football season in Iowa; when do you think you'd feel comfortable in either Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, or at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City?

    Like everyone else, I'm not exactly sure what "the end of the pandemic" will look like. It will be hard to change that masking habit.