To the Editor:

In response to the recent letter to the editor stating wearing a mask is a matter of opinion, I noticed the title “Doctor” did not precede the writer’s name. A mask is not an opinion, it is a fact based on studies done by medical professionals at the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control who have no reason to lie. Masks give us more freedom, not less, because if everyone wore one, businesses and schools could safely reopen and stay open. Well over 100 nurses and a number of doctors have sacrificed their lives to care for COVID 19 patients. Medical professionals are begging us to wear masks for our own safety and theirs. 323,000 Americans are dead of COVID. Without masks we keep losing what were formerly normal lives. Even in 1918 when the Spanish Flu raged (named such because Spanish King Alfonso VIII contracted it, not because it started in Spain) people figured out the way to avoid it was to wear a mask. Haven’t we learned anything in 102 years? Are wearing a seat belt, not smoking in public, coughing into your sleeve, or stopping at red lights matters of opinion? No, these are things we do to protect ourselves and others.

One of the main reasons President Trump doesn’t wear a mask is he told confidants early in 2020 he fears he would look ridiculous in a mask and the image would appear in negative ads. His followers have taken his example to mean they should do as he does, endangering themselves and the rest of us. Do not pander to his vanity.

No compromise — wear a mask. I always wear a mask when in public and I need the rest of you to do the same. I won’t kill you and I expect you to be responsible enough not to kill me.

Linda Warren

Des Moines