Doctors and nurses always wear masks in operating rooms, not because they fear getting germs from the patient, but because they don’t want their own germs to infect the patient.

Virtually every religion in the world espouses some form of the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated. It’s how we show respect for our fellows.

One new study found that simply talking produces 2,600 tiny airborne droplets per second. For a person infected with COVID-19, around 1,000 of those droplets can contain the virus, and the droplets can remain in the air up to 14 minutes. Other studies show sneezing, coughing, laughing and singing produce even more potentially infectious aerosols.

My wife and I regularly walk our dog around Fountain Park. Rarely do we see anyone else wear a mask, though we are grateful to those who do. Nearly everyone converses and laughs without protection for others. Even while maintaining social distance, we must walk through clouds of unseen aerosols people leave behind.

We have both tested negative for COVID-19, but our masks prevent us from emitting any other germs we may harbor. It’s how we show respect for members of our Fountain Hills community.