Dear Editor,
Who are you?
Are you the one who tossed your used gloves and mask beside the sidewalk on No. 1 Road near Moncton Street Wednesday afternoon? Was that your COVID-19 litter?
I don’t know what you were thinking, but you got my attention. Stopped me cold. Sadly, I see it more and more — potentially infected masks and gloves discarded in parks, on sidewalks, in parking lots.
It makes no sense. Why go to the expense, discomfort and bother of wearing a mask and gloves and then, when you’re done with whatever you were doing, toss them on the ground?
It seems important to point out, that — according to Dr. Bonnie Henry and other pandemic experts — unless you’re wearing medical grade equipment, the masks and gloves are to protect other people from you. Apparently, your mask prevents your droplets from spraying out, not the other way around. Given that you may have the virus and not know it, when you take the masks and gloves off and toss them on the sidewalk in downtown Steveston, you’re not just littering, you are potentially putting others at risk.
So, here’s an idea: don’t do it anymore. Be kind. Be calm. Be safe — put your used gloves and mask in the garbage.
Meredith Woodward
RICHMOND
