Due to the current stressful situation, everyone is cautious about their safety and well-being. It is sometimes alarming when people are not following general safety rules and guidelines, i.e. wearing a mask.

The ideal approach to dealing with such a situation is to be kind to everyone instead of calling them out and being mean. 

Gentle Reminders FTW

If you notice someone in public who is not wearing a mask or not following social distancing guidelines, do not directly call them out. Kind words and gentle reminders to people who seem to have forgotten to wear a mask can go a long way in helping them change their behavior and listen to reason. Be courteous and politely remind them of how necessary these little safety measures are.

What You Can Control Is Your Own Behavior

How people will react to you correcting them may not be in your control, but how you call them out is your choice. When you become aggressive and corner a poor man getting his groceries, he might become defensive and try to push you away. Doing this will not convince him to wear a mask. Instead, you may just start an unwanted argument with the elderly. Keep a check on your tone and language while you educate and remind someone to wear a mask in public places. They may still take offense, but at least they will not snap at you. Kind behavior will, hopefully, be reciprocated by kind behavior. 

Inform Yourself Before Calling Someone Else Out

Another reason why you should think before you say something to a person is that someone may have some solid reasons for doing something that you may not know about, or there might be something you don’t have enough information on. Let’s see an example; a sprinter does not bother wearing a face mask during his/her sprinting session. You may feel that they’re ignoring the social distancing rules. But according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s rules, the masks are not necessary for people who exercise outdoors as long as they stay six feet apart, one of the key social distancing rules. The point is, make sure you are well-educated about a subject before lecturing the poor athlete, or anyone else for that matter. 

You Can Always Choose To Be Passive

You don’t always have to step up and say something to a person who is not wearing a mask. There are other passive ways of conveying the message as well. For example, if you visit a store, and see a person standing behind you without wearing the mask, you may react by giving them a worried look and changing your position far away from them. Even if you are too nervous about talking to the stranger, he will get your point. Similarly, there are other ways of handling such a situation and you’ll be the best judge of what reaction you must choose to go with. Be smart, polite, and passive.