More than 63,000 cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in Oklahoma, as of Sep. 5. With school starting back, the rising number of cases is expected to continue and could cause problems for many if wearing masks is not mandated.

 The Trend spoke with 15 USAO students and professors, an elementary school teacher and a registered nurse to determine how people feel about wearing masks.  

According to Pamela Lovelace, the Infection Control Manager at The Physicians’ Hospital in Anadarko, “Masks could be very effective if worn properly with proper hygiene.”

          But Brian Ragain, a registered nurse at The Physicians’ Hospital, cautioned “…masks are no more effective than covering a cough with your hand. Unless you contain the entire contents of the air, it is still blowing out. Even the fancy respirators do not filter air leaving the masks.”

            Responses were mixed about comparisons of N95 masks to cloth masks.                

            Jaiden McGee, a USAO freshman Speech, Language and Pathology major, said, “Surgical masks could be more helpful, but a mask is better than no mask.” 

However, another USAO student indicated that cloth was preferable to the N95.

             “Cloth masks are better because they are reusable,” said Briteana Cury, a junior elementary education major.
Another USAO student offered a different viewpoint.

            Keeunda Cole, a senior communication major, argued that wearing a mask is “…risking your health further because you are breathing in the same air. Bill Gates doesn’t even wear a mask.”

  .   Despite the benefits of masks, some expressed concern that masks hinder communication, especially for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing since they rely on facial expressions for communicating. 

            Mandy Mitchel, a White River Academic League (WRAL) reporter from Raleigh, North Carolina, wrote on WRAL.com: “Wearing masks is the neighborly thing to do. It protects others and helps to stop the spread of coronavirus and other germs. But masks can also be uncomfortable and can cause issues with communication.”

            Dr. Paul Regier, assistant professor of mathematics at USAO, agreed.

             “The masks have hindered communication because people can’t hear me and it’s difficult to hear them,” Regier said.

            Some said they have experienced social tension in public by wearing or not wearing a mask.                                                                                                                                                 

            “There are people on the far left and far right of the spectrum,” Passionette Breedlove, a USAO junior communication major, said. “There are fewer facts and more opinions and hearsay.”

             About half the participants said they have found masks also hinder breathing.

 “The masks actually give me a severe sore throat. It doesn’t happen until I wear a mask,” said Baili Lucas, a USAO senior business and accounting major.

 Not only is difficulty breathing an issue for some, but proper fit is, too. Although this could be a potential problem, people should realize that masks are not “one size fits all. Surgical masks have air holes in them even with the nose piece. N-95 masks and respirators are meant to fit the face. N-95s come in different sizes and respirators are adjustable. Cloth masks depend on how they are made, although they still have loose areas.

 Noah Figuroa, USAO senior social studies major, said, “It gives complications for children and people with bigger faces.” 

Whether or not a mask affects someone’s daily life varies from person to person. Some people live their everyday lives normally, while others have to change their daily routines. 

Jill Haddon, an elementary school teacher at East Elementary in Anadarko, said, “My life has been affected because it’s mandatory to wear a mask every day to school, and I worry about taking the virus home to my family.” 

Most said a mask is not necessary all the time.

 “If you are outside, or not in a large crowd, you should be good,” said Emma Trip, a USAO junior biology major.

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network agrees but warns: “ Face covering is not needed all the time…But when individuals choose to go out or must be close to others in public, a cloth face covering can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 from asymptomatic individuals or others.”

More than half the participants said they thought being required to wear a mask was burdensome. 

 “It’s inconvenience bull—,” Em Martin, a USAO junior history major, said. “People are making it a bigger problem than it actually is.”

 However, Gavin Johnston, a USAO freshman biology major, argued, “It’s stupid because it’s not endangering neither them nor me.”