Once it was easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys: The bad guys wore masks. The novel coronavirus has flipped that, though. Now, it’s the good guys wearing masks, and the — we won’t call them bad, but rather, inconsiderate — guys that are unmasked.

As the months of battling COVID-19 wear on, it has become apparent that face masks covering the mouth and nose when in public or other situations not allowing social distancing are paramount in protecting others from this virus. While initial messages from the Surgeon General of the United States urged the population to not wear masks at the onset of the pandemic, it was because of a lack of those items for health workers. Once availability was widespread and the benefit of masks touted by experts in the health arena, many embraced the idea that a mask, in public, was as courteous as discouraging a handshake when one has a cold.

No shirt, no shoes, no service… no one balks at a business making this request. Adding “No masks” should not be colored by politics.

This is not a red or blue, Republican or Democrat issue. It is a health issue. The best knowledge currently, and evidenced by other complying nations, is that wearing a face mask when in close proximity to others reduces the spread of coronavirus.

A cough, sneeze, or even talking can place tiny respiratory droplets into the air nearby. A cloth face covering is the first barrier preventing those potentially illness-bearing droplets from affecting others. Visit cdc.gov for tips on alternatives to mask wearing, for those who for various reasons cannot reasonably or safely wear one.

A national advertising campaign to educate people, such as one recently released in New York state, would be prudent. It is not about protecting yourself; it is about protecting those around you. And when we are in public places, we do not know the frailties of others with whom we might come in contact: those with compromised immune systems, those who are undergoing cancer treatments, those who are very young or very old, those who may themselves be unaware of underlying illnesses that make them vulnerable.

Masks are not comfortable. They are not particularly attractive. They are hot and itchy at times. Those essential workers who are subjected to wearing masks hours at a time have our greatest respect. They are making this sacrifice so that you are safe.

Much remains unknown about this virus, other than the fact that it continues to spread and kill. If simple actions like washing hands thoroughly and wearing a cloth face mask can reduce the surge of illness, why not do so?

We wear masks for others. We wear masks to keep our friends and neighbors safe from a virus we may unsuspectingly be harboring. We do it as a courtesy to those we do not know.

To deliberately ignore this advice from experts is a supreme act of selfishness and one that pegs the maskless as, perhaps, actually a “bad guy.”