Walking into the Lakewood 24 Hour Fitness for a pre-Thanksgiving workout Wednesday night, I noticed staff at the front desk dutifully informing patrons they needed to wear a mask upon entering. They even passed out masks to those who did not have one readily available.
Unfortunately, that is where it stopped. I spent the next hour watching people work out with masks dangling off their ears or slid below their noses.
Worse? I saw one meathead who was wearing his mask as a chin-bra catch the eye of a disinterested gym employee, realize the employee did not care what he did with his mask, and subsequently strip it off and pocket it. As he continued his routine, several other members took note and began discarding their own face coverings.
That is the way noncompliance with mask mandates works. Just like the virus they are supposed to protect against, once one destructive element enters an ecosystem it tends to spread rapidly. Furthermore, when effective countermeasures are not taken to combat the spread, the result can be dire.
