I went to a local pharmacy today to get a flu shot, and I was struck by how many people–employees and customers–were wearing masks below their noses (instead of covering both their nose and their mouth, as I do).
This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed this. In fact, I would say nearly half of the people I see wearing masks don’t cover their noses. I’m baffled by this. I appreciate that people are wearing masks to protect others and themselves, but as far as I know, if you don’t cover your nose, you’re still significantly increasing the risk of spreading or contracting the coronavirus.
I’ve seen it so often that I genuine wonder if there is a specific reason. Is there a prominent report or member of the media who has said you don’t need to cover your nose when you wear a mask? Is this simply an example of people not understanding (or caring) how the spread of the virus works? Or is it something else?
I must admit that it makes me uncomfortable to see someone in an enclosed space (like a pharmacy or grocery store) without the mask over their nose; almost just as uncomfortable as them not wearing a mask at all. If a store has a mandatory mask policy, shouldn’t that policy apply to wearing the mask over both the nose and the mouth?
I really think people feel like they can’t breathe if their nose is covered. This has been proven repeatedly not to be true but I think people still believe it. Working with virtual learning sites, I am ( seems constantly) reminding the students to have their mouth and nose covered with their mask unless they are eating.
I had heard a rumour back in April that covering your nose did not help with stopping the coronavirus because it was primarily transmitted through saliva produced when talking. I am also curious where it came from, but heard it from several people at that time (and plan to ask them where they heard it). A quick Google search has yielded no results about where this idea may have come from. But I have even heard from some that masks do nothing to prevent coronavirus in general (both of which have been proven untrue).
It drives me nuts. There’s zero effect to wearing a mask if you don’t put it over your nose. My grocery store had cashiers with their noses out and people who’d walk back to the break room with their masks under their chins. It took me three tries with their corporate dept. online, and now I see the employees’ faces properly in the masks. I like to try and go to the store when it’s less crowded (mornings mid-week) because the customers with their noses out and ignoring the one-way aisles or pawing over all the produce gives me anxiety. Not that I’ll catch Covid from that incident necessarily, but that all this will never be over because too many people are cavalier about taking precautions. Nobody wants to say anything to people with their noses out because they’re afraid of getting coughed/spit on by said imbecile in retaliation.
My city government building where I work has been closed to the public since March and most of us have been working from home. Now I have to go in two days a week. Every time I see someone come in who doesn’t think they need to mask up on their way to the bathroom or to the copier… those people are also the ones partying on the weekends taking maskless photos cheek-to-cheek with their tongues hanging out. Right – I know – there’s nothing I can do about other people. That doesn’t mean I don’t get physical discomfort from having them on my floor in my vicinity. Now we find out that our neighbors to the north (San Francisco) didn’t close their in-house gym to their employees. I just can’t with these people.
I don’t want to have to wear a mask either. I don’t want to have to be any more vigilant than I used to be when I was fairly diligent about washing my hands and staying away from symptomatic sick people. Much of my state is on fire right now. People aren’t even bothering with N95 masks in the terribly smoky air. I think people are just done with it mentally and that this will never end. I also think that it was ridiculous that someone thought letting people gather to drink in bars was safe but going to a salon where everybody is gowned, disinfected, and masked to the hilt would be riskier. It just sucks, and I’m tired of it too. I’m not even going to plead that people wear their masks and stop partying like there’s no pandemic. It’s too ineffective and exhausting.
I’ve wondered about this as well! I’ve mostly assumed that they just don’t know and think they’re wearing a mask correctly. Sometimes I’ve run a quick visual analysis–Does the person have an abnormally large face? An abnormally small nose? Might something physical be causing the lack of nose coverage? I’ve yet to figure it out.
Without getting close to non-nose coverers, would you be willing to do a little investigative reporting the next time you see someone? (Ask him/her?) Also, if any Jamey Stegmaier blog readers are non-nose coverers, may we ask what the reason is?
I’d be interested in the response to your questions, T-Mac. Once in awhile I’ll run across someone – like an intern at work – someone I don’t feel is going to go off the rails on me – and tell them “that mask will work better if it’s over your nose too.”
I work for a very large, populous city. The rules are spelled out for all of us. We are to wear a mask at all times when we’re in the building unless we’re in our office (or cube) by ourselves. or when eating. That means you don’t go walking around the floor with no mask thinking you won’t run into anybody. That rule doesn’t apply as strenuously when outdoors, but it’s super clear for when we’re inside.
Next week I get to have my first haircut since all this. I have to go in with my hair freshly washed and damp. They’ll take my temp and give me hand sanitizer before I go in. Then I get my hair cut (while everybody is masked and the staff is gowned and shielded) and I’ll be sent home. No frills, no blow-drying or styling. For this, I will (happily) pay a good $30 more for that haircut than I did before. I will feel safe doing it. Thank goodness they’re finally allowed to be back in business in spite of the poor and unwise actions of others.
Yeah. This is fairly common. It strikes me the same way as when I see someone riding a bike with a helmet hanging from the handlebars. If you’re going to go through the effort of having the mask on your face, might as well do it right.
I saw a guy in a store the other day with a bandana down around his neck. My assumption (which could be wrong, of course) is that he doesn’t want to have to wear a mask, so he does the bare minimum that allows him into the store. But then I was stuck, because he was standing at the end of the aisle where I needed to go. I was forced to stand a few aisles away and wait for him to move out of the way before I felt like I could go down that aisle. Had he been wearing a mask, I would normally just excuse myself and ask if I could sneak past him.
I also have seen people who are wearing a mask, but then they go to talk to an employee at the store and they pull down their mask so the employee can hear them.
I think the root of the problem is that there have been mixed messages coming out from different authorities. Mask wearing has become a political issue, so whether you wear one or not has become symbolic of your values. It’s difficult to get people to inconvenience themselves in order to benefit others. It’s even more difficult when community or national leaders refuse to advocate for a reasonably easy safety measure. In the face of so much misinformation and conflicting messages, it’s very hard to educate people on the proper way to wear a mask.
The best I’ve seen is a sign on the door of my local wine shop:
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Masks cover mouths and noses too.
In the UK you also see the mask often just hanging off their face. People also remove the mask to talk. As someone who has great difficulty with unhygienic people this makes me extremely uncomfortable.i don’t like wearing a mask but I do so to prevent myself and others from getting the virus. I’ve got many friends with very serious respiratory problems and they have no problems wearing a mask, so I do wonder at those who say they can’t breathe with one on. Unless you have a severe phobia (in which case you should get help) or ADHD I really wish everyone would wear a mask.
Jamie,
So glad to see you supporting mask wearing which is essential. I also had this question, until someone told me that with lower quality masks, the mask tends to fall when you open your mouth. Also certain face shapes have more difficulty keeping the standard mask in place. And when it constantly falls – the wearer may not feel they can keep putting it back. So now when i see someone with a mask under their nose, I politely share that there are other mask styles that might be easier for them to wear that will stay on their nose.
Ariel
I like that way of politely interacting with people who aren’t wearing their masks correctly, Ariel.
Just thought about this, a nose clip (like swimmers use or for stop snoring) work really well on top of masks for keeping them in place without hurting.