TUCSON, Ariz. — A few things are fact of life in Southern Arizona: saguaros, Sonoran hot dogs and the heat.
Combine that last one with one of the more recent facts of life, masks, and you get opinions.
"A sense of comfort during this whole pandemic."
"Honestly I don't really like having them on because it's hard to breathe."
"If a cloth mask worked doctors would wear them"
"I think it's kind of a personal thing where you have to have the self-responsibility to do it."
A Gallup Poll study in mid-April found a spike of Americans wearing masks one week to the next from 38 to 62 percent.
"Sometimes it feels just really, hot. I can't breathe, sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating."
"You definitely sweat a lot more."
Wearing a mask certainly feels different when you live in a desert climate
Miranda Manto and Abby Adams, both students at the UArizona are from the northeast.
"These will hopefully be easier to wear back at home."
The masks can lead to issues with your skin, namely acne or as a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer dubbed it: 'maskne.'
A dermatologist in that said report suggested not wearing make up under your mask and to avoid wearing it too long.
"These were not meant to be all day long under physical duress."
The Pima County Health Department agrees, suggesting getting your errands done when it won't be hot outside.
"Doing those activities in the cooler morning temperatures and in the evening," said Paula Mandel, from PCHD.
"I feel like the cloth masks are a lot nicer."
An article from Fast Company Magazine said the heat generated under a mask can lead to shortness of breath, they suggest turning to a double layered cloth mask.
The double layer blocks 93-percent of droplets and the cloth material allows for better breath-ability.
"Now it's become a cultural thing, now you're seeing the politics involved."
A survey by the Washington Post reports 73-percent of Democrats and 59-percent of Republicans are likely to wear masks.
Whatever your preference, if you wear a mask in Southern Arizona, mind the heat.
