Letters: A plea for Chatham neighbors to wear masks

Posted

To the editor:

Dear Chatham County neighbors,

This is a personal plea in which I ask you from my heart to please wear a mask over your mouth and nose in public.

Both of my young children have histories of post-infectious autoimmune reactions, where their bodies started to destroy themselves due to autoimmune disorder. So, both my 6-year-old and my 9-year-old are at higher risk of developing MIS-C, the mysterious Kawasaki disease-like syndrome seen in some children with COVID-19. MIS-C is a post-infectious autoimmune reaction to the novel coronavirus.

COVID-19 would be scary enough but because of what we’ve gone through MIS-C scares me way more. Some children have died from MIS-C. Those who survive it may have lifelong organ damage.

My wife lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease, both of which put her at high risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19.

I am lucky to be able to work from home during this pandemic. We have nearly everything delivered and we have stayed out of public places since mid-March. We’ve had no play dates. Early on, we self-isolated to protect my children’s grandparents, and even still, we visit only outdoors and at distance. We are doing everything we can to keep from being exposed.

But occasionally we need things that can’t be delivered and I have to enter stores.

Today as I walked into Food Lion, three other people were walking in with me. I was the only one wearing a mask.

When you wear a mask, you are protecting yourself and other people. You are not only protecting the people you see around you in the store — you are also protecting their high risk family members they’ve left at home.

Like my 6- and 9-year-old children.

Please wear masks in public.

Mr. Bonitz is a member of the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners.