LETTER: Masks and personal choice

It boggles my mind how such a simple method to improve personal health protection has become one of this era’s big political boondoggles.

Mask mandate or no mask mandate? For me, it is an easy decision to still wear a mask in public. Yet not because of COVID-19 per se. That is still the main reason, of course, but I do so also for the protection wearing a mask has provided me against other health issues.

I generally catch the common cold or sinusitis one to three times in a year. Since wearing a mask first become necessary in early 2020, I have had zero common colds and sinusitis just once. As an aside, I have caught COVID twice (after having three vaccinations and still wearing a mask).

My choice is thus very personal, and I really couldn’t care less whether there is a mandate or not. My personal experience has shown me that, overall, it is more beneficial to wear my mask in public than not.