One of the dumber things to happen during the coronavirus pandemic happened when the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control tried to say wearing masks was not needed.

It’s just silly and untrue.

But the WHO also opposed travel bans and repeated Chinese propaganda, so there is that to factor in as well.

Masks serve a purpose. They make you less likely to infect other people and make you less likely to get infected.

The science here is clear that wearing a mask is more about you not making other people sick.

But as with most things in our society, there are people who think any advice is motivated by something else.

I personally haven’t gone to a grocery store in a month, with one exception, which was to pick up something for my 69-year-old mother.

I posted this photo on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/TheDaleJackson/posts/10157340376066270

Yes, the beard is absurd and the mask would be more useful without it. Understood.

What surprised me was a comment that was left asking, “You’re a mask guy?”

I had no clue what it meant.

I wore a mask because it is a simple and easy thing to do. It’s better than not wearing one, and my wife ordered some online.

Now, I understand it.

Some are starting to view the wearing of a mask as an overreach of government officials or unelected bureaucrats who seem to be controlling the decisions of elected officials.

Are politicians using this situation to flex their muscles? Maybe.

Cities like Birmingham and other places around the country have taken the absurd step to demand that you wear a mask in public.

I say this is “absurd” because this is never going to fly. Americans will not do this and police will never be fining and arresting people for not doing so.

Additionally, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and United States Attorney General William Barr have warned against going too far.

Should people be asked to wear them? Sure.

But Americans and Alabamians are not going to react well to this. It will not work, as Ohio has learned.

So should we wear masks out in public around groups of other people in grocery stores and other public places? Yes.

Should the government be considering releasing criminals from jail, including serial killers, over the coronavirus pandemic, and then threatening fines and jail time for not wearing a mask?

Absolutely not.

Will I do it 100%? Probably not. I am human and I may forget my mask or not wear it.

But I understand that wearing a face mask could help us get open sooner.

I also know “no one is wearing masks” is the new “people aren’t staying home,” which is the new “there is no testing” for people that want the country shut down until a vaccine is developed and rolled out.

However, it’s the right thing to do. It protects you and others. That should be enough to convince people to cover their nose and mouths in public for the time being.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 AM weekdays on WVNN.