I think many people misunderstand the role of wearing a mask. Your mask protects others from you and the possibility that you are the carrier of the disease and can infect them. When you wear a mask, it unfortunately doesn’t really protect you. Well maybe a little. But its real purpose is to protect others from you in case you are a carrier.

Complicating matters is the asymptomatic spread of the virus. Asymptomatic spread is the transmission of the virus by people who have no symptoms. But these infected people can still get other people sick (Fauci, June 2020).

So let’s say, for example, I am a person with no symptoms but still have the coronavirus. Let’s say I go into a supermarket without a mask. Without knowing or malice, I have the potential of infecting other people and getting them sick. If I had worn a mask, I would be protecting them. So it becomes my responsibility to do no harm to others and wear a mask.