The unmasked nose: Ignorance or rebellion?

In a visit to the store, perhaps even a stroll through the workplace, you can occasionally find someone wearing a mask over their mouth but not the nose. It can annoy, even anger or upset, others wanting to avoid getting infected with coronavirus. Perhaps it is not intended to have that effect on others. The unmasked nose is probably a reflection of a "lack of proper education," said Karim Baroudi, health commissioner for Hancock Public Health. But when one leaves the mask off the nose, it is as if they are not wearing any mask "because the nose and the whole nose cavity is connected to the mouth," Baroudi said. They are putting others and themselves at greater risk of infection. "A tight-fitting mask sitting on the bridge of the nose all the way to the bottom of the chin, that's the best protection you can get from a mask," he said. "It's not 100% (protection) anywhere, but it's the best protection you get from a mask." To compensate for a mask's limits, people should keep at least 6 feet of distance from others, though research has found that the distancing can be less for children in school classrooms. People also need to wash hands frequently and avoid crowds. Each of those measures alone is inadequate to protect one from infection, Baroudi said. They must all be employed together. Baroudi does not believe the unmasked nose is malevolence. "I don't think it's rebellion. If it's rebellion, people will refuse to wear the mask altogether," he said. "They're trying to comply." Other mask infractions, on the other hand, may not be so innocent. "I've seen a lot of masks not even covering the mouth. They just put it under their chin. You know what, that's probably rebellion," Baroudi said. "That's probably people who don't want to comply. "It's understandable if you have a condition where you cannot wear a mask, and those are exceptions. But if you are able to wear a mask and you're not wearing it properly … it's all not helping the situation and it's making the virus spread more and more."