As a longtime resident of Norridgewock, I do the majority of shopping for essentials in Skowhegan with an occasional trip to Waterville. My granddaughter resides in China Village and so usually shops in the Waterville area.
We have both become very concerned with the large number of people in the central Maine area that are not wearing masks in public settings. With Maine opening to visitors from other states, along with the increase in large gatherings, it is more important than ever to continue to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for safe practices.
The U.S. CDC recommends that all people without health limitations over two years of age wear a cloth face covering in public settings. Emerging clinical and laboratory studies show cloth face coverings reduce the spray of respiratory droplets when worn over the nose and mouth, which in turn reduces the spread of COVID-19.
The Maine CDC commissioner, Dr. Nirav Shah, said, “The cloth face coverings are designed to minimize the chance that someone who doesn’t have (COVID-19) symptoms could transmit it to somebody else. It’s less about protecting yourself and more about protecting others from you.”
In an effort to increase public awareness of the importance of wearing a face covering/mask, we are offering “Wear a mask for someone you love” t-shirts at customink.com/fundraising/mask-for-someone-you-love. The shirts are available through July 21. All proceeds will go to the
Good Shepherd Food Bank.
As of July 5, 109 Mainers have died. We all have a loved one that is a frontline responder, elderly, or immune compromised. Wear a mask for them; you could be saving their life.
Jean Lancaster and Amelia Bailey
Norridgewock/China Village
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