I Won't Be Taking My Mask Off — But Not For Any Of The Reasons You've Probably Heard

"I yearn to chat over dinner with my best friend or to get on the treadmill at the gym. But I can’t. Not yet."

I’ve been telling a lot of my friends no these days. No to celebrations that signal an end to COVID-19 restrictions. No to lunch at a restaurant. No to meeting for a beer. No to dinner parties. No to hugs.  It’s been a lonely pandemic for me, and I would love to accept all their offers. But because I have sarcoidosis, a chronic inflammatory disease, and because I take powerful immunosuppressants to treat it, I’m considered high risk for the coronavirus. After the virus hit, I reluctantly followed my doctor’s advice and moved out of my family’s home and lived alone for eight long months. I just couldn’t keep my 17-year-old son permanently locked in his bedroom, but I also couldn’t risk him giving me COVID-19. Thankfully, I’m back home now. Still, I’m running on a deficit of hugs, parties and drinks.  My friends assure me they understand my strict boundaries, but they still give me the look. It’s similar to the look I get in the grocery store when I come in wearing an N95, and all the maskless shoppers cast a sideways glance at me. “Oh, she’s one of those,” I can almost hear them thinking.