As Iowa has not issued any face mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic, it may feel easy to not wear a face mask when going out into the public and into heavily crowded areas, but Guthrie County Public Health urges residents to consider the effect masks can have on preventing further spread of the virus.

Public Health Director Jotham Arber says masks protect not just yourself but those around you, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, masks are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings. While sporting events, social gatherings, and more are returning locally, it may prove difficult for asymptomatic people to keep wearing masks as friends or family choose not to, but Arber encourages the public to follow their gut, “You should stick to your convictions and know that you’re doing what you can to care about those people that you do love. Even if not everyone around you is wearing a mask if we have some people wearing masks that need to wear masks. If we’re not able to socially distance and we’re following those guidelines, what we’re doing is we’re telling those people that we’re around that we care about them, that we don’t want to spread this virus to them if we are carrying the virus.”

To clarify, the CDC recommends cloth masks be worn by the public instead of surgical masks or respirators as they are critical supplies that should be reserved for healthcare workers and other first responders. The Guthrie County Health Services Building have been giving out free cloth masks, and you can find information on how to make your own mask here.