At Saratoga Hospital, we’ve been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic since last winter—and we’ve been working hard every day since to keep this community safe and healthy. We cannot adequately express our gratitude for your encouragement and steadfast support. And to those of you wondering what else you can do to help us battle COVID-19, we have one simple request. 

We need you to wear a mask.

• It’s not debatable. It’s a fact. Masks reduce the spread of COVID-19. Period. It’s something simple we should all be doing to protect ourselves and the people we love.
• It really is not a request. It is a personal responsibility. You’re putting other people at risk when you decide not to wear a mask—and that makes you part of the problem. You do not have the right to endanger the rest of your community, including the first responders and healthcare workers who then take on the responsibility of caring for the people you helped expose. 
• Wearing a mask is not an infringement on your personal freedom. Think of it as your contribution to protecting jobs and our local economy. All of us take extra safety precautions all day, every day, to keep each other safe. Safety belts, bike helmets, car seats… the list goes on, and now it includes wearing a mask. It is an incredibly minor inconvenience that helps all of us stay healthy, and simultaneously sustain the health of our economy. 
• For the vast majority of us, wearing a mask does not reduce your oxygen intake. There are certainly a small number of instances where a medical condition may interfere with a person’s ability to wear a mask, but those instances are few and far between. Do not insult people who have a legitimate health issue by falsely claiming you have such a medical condition. It’s just wrong.

It’s up to all of us to fight COVID-19, and that means wearing a mask. For more information on self-care resources, specimen collection sites, and other coronavirus resources in our community, please visit Saratoga Hospital’s COVID-19 page.