Our Opinion: Remember to dispose of masks correctly

Published 6:30 am Saturday, September 5, 2020

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At around five months into the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota (counting from the moment things shut down), it seems like a good time to remind people to dispose of face masks properly.

We have seen a few cases around town where masks have been thrown or discarded on the ground,and while we can not naturally assume everybody is littering in terms of their face masks, we can still take the moment to push the fact that throwing masks away is the right thing to do.

It goes without saying that littering of any kind is not only frowned upon, it’s illegal. In this day and age, this should not need a reminder, but often it does require an extra push.

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But there is more to this. What if the mask was simply discarded and what if that person unknowingly had COVID-19? Now the person that has to pick up this mask is exposed with a threat that becomes exponential.

Again, there is no way to know how these masks got on the ground and whether or not it was done intentionally or unintentionally, but we’re not going to back away from taking the step to urge people to be mindful of how to properly dispose of a one-time use mask.

Throw it in the garbage. It’s just that easy. Follow it up with thoroughly washing your hands and/or sanitizing them.

During a time where it’s so hard to find the positive, be the light of being a decent human being.