If there is one good thing that came from the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s the wearing of masks. Now wait. Hold on a minute. I know the mask wearing thing was quite controversial. Just let me explain. This isn’t what you think.

During the pandemic, the idea was suggested that some people might want to wear a mask as a means of precaution. As time went on, masks soon became the norm. People all over the country, and all over the world, began to wear them as a precautionary measure.

As the Covid-19 virus kept spreading and mutating, many people questioned on whether the masks even worked at all. Many people had differing opinions on the matter. Some people believed that they were effective. Some people believed that they didn’t work at all. I personally believe that masks work. Maybe not 100%, but that they do help in the spread of viruses. The issue, in my personal opinion, is that people were not wearing the right type of mask. I mean, let’s face it, as long as people covered their face with something, it was deemed as acceptable.

The CDC has constantly updated their mask information page giving people the best information possible, yet, no one seemed to follow those guidelines. I saw almost everything imaginable from, cloth masks, bandana’s, plastic face shields (with no mask underneath), etc. One time I even saw a woman that had wrapped paper towels around her face. No joke. I hardly ever saw people wearing the recommended surgical, KN95, or N95 masks, which the CDC said offered the best protection.

Everywhere you went you could buy the cloth masks which the CDC said offered some of the least protection. Even if people were wearing the masks, they just wore them around their chin, or just covered their mouth and not their nose. I saw countless people have the surgical masks around their cars rearview mirror, meaning that they were reusing a mask that was recommended as a one time use mask. And let’s not forget Alyssa Milano’s famous crocheted mask. However, this isn’t a knock on Alyssa Milano, because tons of people had these.

The point is that everything that we could have done wrong in terms of proper masking and proper use of masks, we did. We literally failed on masking in the biggest way possible. Nevertheless, I have hope. I do see one good thing that has come from this all too real tragedy. One that may be beneficial to us now and into the future. That is…drumroll, please…more mask wearing. Well, sort of.

If there is one good thing that has come from the entire mask wearing, it’s this. I’ve noticed that, in general, more and more people are wearing masks when they are sick. Whether it be from Covid, the Flu, or even the common cold. People just tend to wear a mask as a precaution towards others. Some people will wear a mask when they simply think they might be getting sick, but they haven’t been officially deemed sick. Another plus is that if people are wearing masks, they seem to be the most effective masks like surgical, KN95, or N95 masks. Pretty much everybody has stopped selling cloth masks since the virus seems to be on the decline. If you do have to buy a mask at the store, there is a good chance that all you can buy is the best kind. That’s a positive note.

With so many people wearing a proper mask when they are sick, we might in fact see a decline in sickness in the future. It’s possible. I guess only time will tell. If it works great. I’m willing to bet that it has some sort of impact. Even if it is minor. Who knows? In 50 years, people might just wear a mask when they are sick not knowing why they are doing it other than, it’s just the right thing to do.