Why Are People in Philly Not Wearing Masks?

I walk my dogs, I cover my face. I go to the store, I wear a mask. I go for a run, I cover my face. It’s simple and in line with the most recent guidance by the CDC and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf.

From the CDC:

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

From Governor Wolf:

“Today, I’m asking all Pennsylvanians to wear a mask anytime you leave your house,” Mr. Wolf said. “Masks help prevent people from sharing illnesses.” via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 4/03/2020

“Wear a mask anytime you leave the house” seems like a clear enough request by Governor Wolf. So, why did I see only 7 people out of a counted 31 people (22.5%) wearing masks while walking my dog yesterday morning—a full three days after Wolf’s mask guidance?

Bewildered and curious, I decided to ask maskless people along Front Street between South Street and Christian Streets, an area populated with dog-walkers, runners, and parents with children. This stretch has a path/sidewalk that is regularly packed with people on a nice day. Yesterday was a nice day and it was quite active.

I approached people and asked them if they were aware of either the CDC guidelines regarding masks/face covering or Governor Wolf’s recommendations that all people leaving their house wear masks and why they chose not to cover their faces.

Most of the folks that I asked were on a concrete path along grass between Fitzwater and South Streets on Front St. That path is 83 inches wide, or 6’11”. The only way to keep the recommended six to ten feet of social distancing would be if passersby were less than a combined eleven inches wide. I don’t know how wide your body is but I’m guessing from shoulder to shoulder most adults individually are wider than eleven inches.

Thirteen people agreed to be interviewed. The most common answer (6 respondents) was that they would wear masks if they were in a store, but not outside. When asked as a follow-up about Wolf’s request that everyone leaving their home wear a mask or CDC’s recommendation for masks outside when social-distancing was impossible, such as this path, two individuals said that wasn’t their interpretation of the CDC’s guidelines. They believed that it was simply for runs to the store or pharmacy.

As you can see from this photo, there’s no chance for six feet of spacing with this unmasked guy unless you walk in the street or on the grass.

I didn’t interview this runner but she would have definitely been within four feet of me or any pedestrian who did not step onto the grass to be a safe distance from her heavy breathing and running.

The second most popular (4 respondents) answered was that the masks were uncomfortable. So are jeans, but most of us wear them from time to time.

One of these respondents was actually holding her mask. She assured me that she would put it on while in a store.

One couple wearing expensive workout gear said they didn’t have the means to a mask. When told that a t-shirt or scarf would be safer than nothing, they walked off.

Another couple provided my favorite answer, “that information is not being properly disseminated. We’re pretty isolated.”

I don’t know how isolated they could be as I saw them enter a home on Front Street. It wasn’t as though they were living on a small island in the middle of the Delaware River. Maybe they had a point, though. I thought the info was readily available, but perhaps there would be no way to know if someone didn’t have an internet connection or purchase any newspapers. I have to idea how to reach those folks.

The final group asked was a family. The woman was masked. The guy was not, neither was the boy with them. The woman stopped to answer. She tried to justify the two males without masks by saying they were going to play soccer in the park and it would just be them playing. That’s fine, but I watched them walk off and pass three people seconds later.

People just aren’t getting that being outside without a mask is a threat to everyone we pass. We could be asymptomatic and breathing on folks as we pass them and unknowingly infecting them.

Everyone I asked seemed to completely ignore Gov. Wolf’s request for face-covering whenever leaving the house. Some were aware of the CDC guidelines for face-covering while shopping, but totally ignored this important guidance: “cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”

We live in a city with 1.5 million or so residents. Social distancing measures are always going to be difficult to maintain. You’re going to encounter people in unsafe distances of less than six feet on the regular. Philadelphia isn’t Paris with enormous sidewalks. As a matter of fact, I measured the sidewalk on my street from the steps to the curb. The total distance was six feet ten inches, which is unsafe for passersby with uncovered faces.

It is impossible to walk, hike, run in Philly and keep six feet from everyone you encounter. Do you really want to run the chance of infecting someone? This isn’t difficult, Philly. Cover your damn faces every time you leave the house. Yeah, it’s a pain in the ass, but it’s better than getting someone sick or worse.