Unfortunate Safety Measures

2020 has left its mark on the world, there is no doubting that. 2020 has also left a physical mark on those working in health care. With masks being mandatory in many places, health care workers are taking the hardest hit with each new development in personal protective equipment (PPE). As an employee of the health care system, it saddens me to see our employees go home with marks and bruises on their faces after a long 12-hour shift. It hurts me to see my coworkers and my friends continue to struggle to find happiness in a career that they have worked so hard to achieve.

In the beginning, it seemed like just a phase, something we just needed to push through. In the middle, it all felt like a fever dream. Now it feels like an unfortunate normal with what seems like no end in sight. Let's all come together and find that light at the end of the tunnel.

Masks should not be used as a fashion statement. Masks are a tool to protect everyone from the spread of a deadly contagious airborne virus. We have left 2020, yet have brought the masks with us into 2021. This should not be our legacy. We have fought for way too long for people just to listen, and understand. We have begged for the common decency of just thinking about someone else before yourself. We can not continue this trend of selfishness, at the potential cost of people's lives.

Let's leave selfish behavior behind us. Let's leave it in 2020, it is not a good look. We are a united country. Let's not be individuals. Let's be part of something together, building a legacy we can be proud of. We need everyone working together, just like a machine needs every piece to be working. We can not move past this without working together. I am proud to be an American but disappointed in Americans.

I do not see the reason why people struggle with the simple task of donning a mask. The claim that your freedom is being infringed upon, it's bogus. There is no way that you can not perform the same tasks you were before, now with a mask on. I perform my job in the same fashion now as I did before the mask. All my coworkers give the same high-quality performance with masks on. Please look inwards when trying to find why this virus is still an issue.

We have developed so much as a country, yet we are still behind. Why do we continue to pretend like we are taking steps forward, and yet we can not get past this wall of selfishness? We struggle as a country if we can not break this barrier. We can continue to try to blame the politicians, the rich, and those we don't agree with, but we can only control and look at ourselves. If we as the proud people we are, just put that pride into the collective good of the country we may find what we are looking for.

For those who continue to tell us it is part of our job, I say it's not. Yes, we have found a calling to help those in need, but we need your assistance as well. We can not continue to live like this. Our job is to help those that need it. Your job is to help prevent anyone from needing it.

We were told 2 short weeks. We were expecting 2 short weeks. We received almost a year. Those who fight the mask mandates, I have a message for you. Please, help us. Our hospitals continue to fill with people who should have never contracted the virus, due to your negligence. Our lives are continuously at risk serving those who should have had no need to be here. The job is already stressful, and you just keep piling it on. We are tired. We are hurt. We need your help. Please.