opinion: when it comes to masks, don't be a jerk

by: licia corbellaback in 2015, when i was going through chemotherapy to combat triple-negative breast cancer, there were times when i had to wear a mask.the chemotherapy was harsh, and besides causing me to lose every hair on my body and most toenails as well, it also would completely wipe out my immune system.neutrophils — the white blood cells that do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to fighting off infections in our body — are in the normal range between 1.5 to 8.0 neutrophils/mcl. mine would start off below normal at 0.8 prior to my chemo sessions that recurred every three weeks, and drop down to 0.1 or 0.0.that meant i had no immune system at all to fight off infections. a common cold could have killed me. when i entered the hospital i would don a mask. when i had to fly to rome for a family funeral, i wore masks the entire flight, changing them every hour or so. (i also would completely disinfect my entire seat area, and disinfect my hands any time i touched anything outside of my seat area.) while i was hospitalized twice because of infections at my surgery site, i never once caught a cold or other airborne illness during that entire time.no one ever chastised me for wearing a mask in public. some people stared and a couple of people appeared to sneer and scoff, but as far as i was concerned that was their problem, not mine.i had two wigs — my “shania twain sexy wig,” so dubbed by my friend sandra, who insisted i buy it, and my frump wig, so dubbed by me — which was similar to my actual hair before going bald. in other words, it wasn’t usually obvious that i was a cancer patient during this time, (though i had trouble drawing my eyebrows on in the right spots, so that could look wonky at times) but i only went bald or wore a cap around or near home.the way i looked at it, i could wear a cap and no makeup and look like a cancer patient, thereby receiving glances of pity whilst wearing a mask, or wear a wig and makeup and a mask and just get looks of curiosity and occasional hostility. i almost invariably chose the latter. neither is right nor wrong — it’s just a preference.during the covid-19 pandemic, wearing a mask became ubiquitous before it became mandatory in alberta. afraid of a rural backlash, premier jason kenney waited longer than any other premier to declare masks mandatory in all indoor public spaces.that mask mandate, oddly enough, came as a relief to many albertans. i heard from several rural albertans who confided that they felt sheepish wearing a mask into their local store before the mandatory mask law because most others in their communities did not. when masks were made mandatory, people who wanted to wear them no longer stood out.masks became a political football for some. there were the anti-mask rallies in virtually every city across the country and there were those regularly posted youtube videos of some angry person screaming at some hapless store clerk for politely insisting that their customers wear a mask.which brings us to the latest fracas over face masks.

on july 1, masks will no longer be mandatory based on provincial law. canada day marks the first day of alberta meeting all requirements of its stage 3 reopening plan. let the fireworks begin!on monday, calgary council voted in favour of extending calgary’s mask bylaw until at least july 5 — which muddies the waters in terms of providing clarity to citizens. seven members on council voted to extend the indoor mandatory mask mandate for a bit longer than is required by the province.you’d think mayor naheed nenshi and his usual cohort had asked calgarians to sacrifice their first born on the altar of caution. people called this decision totalitarian, unreasonable, an infringement of their rights, etc.while it doesn’t make sense for the city to overrule the considered decision of dr. deena hinshaw, alberta’s chief medical officer of health, it’s hardly something to get exorcised about.hinshaw certainly didn’t sound upset about it tuesday, and she had some sound advice about moving into this new stage.“it will be critical in the next few months, especially as we continue to increase second dose coverage, that we support each other to manage risks in ways that make sense for the context and risk factors that people have,” hinshaw said after mentioning that alberta recorded just 57 new covid-19 cases.“as we find our way back into activities that are newly allowed, it’s important to remember that precautions like avoiding crowded indoor areas or wearing a mask remain reasonable choices for those who have risk factors for severe outcomes, and for those who haven’t yet gotten their second dose.”she said everyone will need to move at the pace that’s right for them.“all of us can approach others with compassion in this time of transition,” she added.

some people have compromised immune systems, others have severe respiratory diseases. she mentioned that many people who suffer from asthma have found that wearing a mask has helped them a lot. they may choose to continue to wear a mask.in short, we shouldn’t judge others if they do or don’t wear a mask, and we should be mindful that not everyone is as robust as the next person.last friday, when kenney announced that alberta would be open for summer starting on july 1, after more than 70 per cent of the population had received at least one vaccination against covid, i spoke with small business owner and hairstylist rolanda anderson of salon true on 17th avenue about her plans with regards to masking.she said that even after all mask mandates are lifted, she will defer to whatever her customers prefer.“if my customer feels more comfortable wearing a mask, then i’ll wear a mask. i’m going to be flexible,” she said, “because i want people to relax and not worry. i will extend as much grace as possible.” wise words.it’s going to take a long time before wearing a mask will look unusual again. that’s not necessarily a bad thing for those who must wear them. a little grace and flexibility all around for those who don’t and do is the best way forward.licia corbella is a postmedia columnist in calgary.lcorbella@postmedia.comtwitter:@liciacorbella