A very long time ago, we went to see a movie that scared us all to death. That movie was Jaws, the story of a great white shark that terrorized beachgoers along the New England coast. Shortly after seeing this movie, we went on our scheduled beach vacation. That’s when I realized this movie had altered my confidence in how safe my children were in the ocean.

We all became more vigilant. The adults rotated, one always on duty when the children were in the water.

The ocean hadn’t changed, but our perception of possible danger in the ocean had.

In the movie, there is a scene where town leaders are worried about the bad publicity surrounding the shark attack and how it would affect tourism dollars, vital to the town’s economy.

And so, to convince the public it was perfectly safe to go into the water, the community gathered on the beach and went into the water as one.

It didn’t take them long to get out after one child on his raft was swallowed up.

So, the idea that safety measures are unnecessary continues to be unrealistic and dangerous when dealing with the daily battle against coronavirus.

We know that health experts warn repeatedly about the risk of contracting the virus. We are advised to wear masks, sanitize and avoid close contact with others.

We have been told that wearing masks protects others.

So why don’t we all wear masks? I don’t know.

If you love your parents, your grandparents, your children, your relatives and your friends, please wear a mask. If you have any regard for the public at large, wear a mask.

If you must buy groceries, wear a mask. Make sure the handle of the shopping cart is sanitized.

If I owned a business of any sort and it was open to the public, I’d make masks mandatory for customers and employees.

This isn’t a political statement. This is acknowledging that health experts are the people trying to protect us all and keep us from both getting sick and making others sick.

Now what on earth about this practice cannot be understood?

Wear a mask! Please! Wear it in Walmart, any grocery store, when you get gas.

And please remember that when you put your hand on the gas pump to pump gas, you are putting your hand in the same place that hundreds of others have touched.

This virus can survive on metal for several days. How do you know that out of the hundreds of people who have touched this pump, not one has contracted the virus? You don’t know, and neither does anyone else.

You can put on a plastic glove to pump, or you can spray the handle with disinfectant, if you carry it with you in the car.

This isn’t “being a sissy” or showing fear. This is a safety measure.

It is no different from expecting your surgeon to wear a mask and wash his hands and arms prior to operating on a person.

During the Civil War, surgeons in field hospitals amputated limbs without sanitizing surgical saws, spreading infection from patient to patient. They didn’t know about germs then.

Penicillin didn’t come on the scene until World War II.

Currently there isn’t a cure or a vaccine for the coronavirus. So please, for the sake of yourself, your family, and others, wear a mask. Thank you.