Keep your mask game strong.

Lessons from an NYC Emergency Room.

Today, I spent five hours in an NYC Emergency Room. It turned out to be a false alarm, but it was an opportunity to watch the way the pros mask up.

ER folks in New York have been front and center for COVID-19. There’s not much debate about the efficacy of masks. But there’s style.

There’s the triple mask combo. There’s the face shield/mask ensemble. There’s colored masks tied in three directions, masks tied into upswept hair, masks pinned in place with stylish hair clips, even masks braided into a headband.

My nurse looked after maybe a half-dozen patients at once. People moved in all directions. There was a ER dance of nurses, technicians, patients, machines, computers, admin staff, orderlies, cleaners. The theme song from ER played in my head for hours.

I asked my nurse about COVID. She said it’s been unbelievable. Non-stop. Every day dozens of people coming in the ER door.

It’s the middle of October. The virus has teeth. We are not out of the woods. Not even close.

I told her I’ve been in the hospital many times but this is the first time I’ve seen every single person masked. She said infections in the hospital are way down because everyone wears masks. I said I’ll probably never go…