Dear people, I am not responsible for your health.

Maricopa County passed a regulation requiring the wearing of masks. Nothing more.

The county did not pass responsibility for your health to me. I am no more responsible for your health now than I was 10 years ago. If we had been responsible for each other’s health I would have made sure you did government-recommended workouts three times a week. And you would have noticed I don’t eat enough vegetables to suit government guidelines and would have made sure I did. Oh, and you should have required me to get a flu shot because that might have saved lives.

We do know this from Maricopa County. You are not safe if the person you are talking to is wearing a mask. You are merely less at risk. The emphasis still remains on social distance for safety. The best form of social distance is to remain at home. Second best: Allow six feet of distance between you and the next person.

Nowhere has anyone suggested a mask is a substitute for social distance. Before its latest revision of the county regulation, their own recommended use of masks was for “when six feet separation cannot be maintained.”

“Wearing a valve mask does not satisfy these regulations.” That is a direct quote from the current signed and sealed document from the county. Understanding the technology and intent of a valve mask makes it clear why valve masks are specifically rejected by the county as a means of limiting disease spread. If you are talking with a person wearing a valve mask, that person can be spreading COVID-19.

I care about you all. I want you to stay well. Social distance, please.