Before people come at me with torches and pitchforks, this is purely an opinion piece. I completely understand that masks help slow the spread of COVID-19, especially when people have been fully vaccinated and could still be contagious without knowing. I also am well aware that the businesses are required by mandate to have their customers wear masks. I just have a severe case of mask fatigue and I'm sick of wearing them.

I also completely understand how lucky I am to be in a position where I don't have to wear a mask constantly. There are healthcare and other frontline workers that wear masks all day, every day. Those people are real heroes, and I applaud them for their commitment to making sure our community is taken care of.

That being said, here are the five places around the St. Cloud area I'm sick of wearing a mask at. (But, again, I totally get why I have to wear one.)

1. The Gym

This one has been my biggest grievance. I'm already hot, sweaty, and can't breathe, and the mask just amplifies that feeling around the face which is the last place on my body I want it amplified. I long for the day I can heavily breathe on an elliptical without a piece of fabric in front of my mouth and nose.

2. Grocery Store

It's been 9 months since the mask mandate went into effect in Minnesota and I still will get out of my car, go halfway across the parking lot, and have to turn back because I forgot my mask. I just can't learn this lesson.

3. Restaurants

It's not so much the dining at restaurants, because you walk in and can de-mask as soon as you're at your table. My problem comes from hosting bar trivia and hauling in equipment. My hands are always full, and the mask is always falling down. I'm already a mess in that situation and the mask doesn't help me look like less of a mess.

4. Work

We don't have to wear them all the time at the radio station (talking into a microphone would get muffled) but if we are moving around the building we have to mask up. I'm just tired of putting it on to walk 30 feet to the printer.

5. Literally Everywhere

The worst part is that there is just no end in sight. Even for those of us like myself who are fully vaccinated. The CDC shared on their website:

After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions—like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces—in public places until we know more.

I'm hoping that putting my mask fatigue venting out into the universe will help me get over it and deal with the fact that we are stuck with them for the foreseeable future.

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