Some are born with common sense, some learn common sense, and others have common sense thrust upon them after a video of them being dumb is posted on the internet.
The Covid-19 pandemic has upended life as we know it, and people are still getting used to the changes it has brought about.
For instance, people in many countries now have to cover the lower part of their faces when they go out.
Face masks prevent respiratory droplets from spreading, which is crucial in the fight against the coronavirus.
Still, they can be rather uncomfortable to wear sometimes. But not wearing them at all isn’t an option, of course.
So, what do you do?
Well, one woman in the US has come up with a solution to this problem, and it’s ingenious.
Woman in US Cut Her Mask So That She Can Breathe Easier
When Joe Samaan, a petrol station clerk in Kentucky, saw one customer approaching with a face mask, he was slightly confused, to say the least.
See, this customer’s mask looked a little… different.
It might be hard to spot, but if you look really closely, you’ll see that this woman cut a big-ass hole in her mask.
In a video that Samaan shared on TikTok, the woman approached the counter to pay for petrol, asking: “Hi there, can I get 10 on pump one please?”.
Samaan took the payment, but he only had one question on his mind.
“Where did you get that mask from?”
“Well since we have to wear them and it makes it hard to breathe, this makes it a lot easier to breathe,” the woman replies.
Just to make sure he wasn’t going insane, Samaan asked “Cutting it?”
The woman nods in agreement, and the bemused clerk responds: “‘Yeah sure I’ll do that too, thanks for the advice.”
The woman then leaves the store saying “Good day” as if cutting a hole in your mask is a perfectly normal thing to do.
Every so often, a genius comes along with an invention or discovery that helps humanity advance.
In the 1600s it was Issac Newton, and more recently, Albert Einstein. For centuries, people have struggled to breathe when wearing face masks, but this woman’s solution is so simple it’s almost stupid.
Wait no, it’s just stupid.
Obviously, cutting a hole out of your mask completely defeats the purpose of wearing one. If your nose is covered but your mouth is completely exposed, you might as well sneeze directly into the faces of passing strangers.
And if she was going to cut a hole like that so she could breathe, why not put on a balaclava and tell people you’re going to rob a bank instead? That’s certainly more respectable.
Why Wear Face Masks At All?
The main reason that more and more countries are making it compulsory for their citizens to wear face masks is that Covid-19 patients who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic can still spread the virus without even knowing they’re sick.
As BBC reported, when an infected person coughs, showers of tiny droplets – known as aerosols – are projected into the air.
And a single cough can produce up to 3,000 droplets, with fears that the virus can even spread through speaking.
That’s why masking up is so important when we leave our homes; the additional layer of protection can save your life and the lives of those around you.
Advertisements
Mask Anxiety
But if you feel a little uncomfortable and have difficulty breathing when you first start wearing a mask, fret not; this is completely normal, according to Allure.
“If you feel like your mask is suffocating you, the first thing to know is that chances are you’re not actually short of breath, even if you feel like airflow is restricted. You may just need some time to get used to the feeling of something covering your mouth and nose.”
“As you get more comfortable wearing the mask I can say from personal experience [that feeling] tends to decrease over time”, said a physician specializing in infectious diseases.
So, that discomfort should go away, and if it doesn’t, you should probably see a doctor about it.
Whatever you choose to do, please do not cut a giant hole in your mask.
Advertisements