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Dan Levy urges people to think of face masks as 'the simplest, easiest act of kindness'

The "Schitt's Creek" creator asked people to stop thinking of masks as an infringement on their own freedoms but instead think of it as an act of kindness.
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Actor-producer Dan Levy is urging people angry about wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic to start looking at it as an act of kindness.

The “Schitt’s Creek” creator urged people in an Instagram video Wednesday to consider what wearing a mask can do for others. Levy was responding to online videos, in which people expressed anger at being asked to put on masks while in public.

Levy posed the question: If you have the freedom to leave your home, why not wear a mask?

“Imagine seeing it not as an infringement on your freedom, but rather the simplest, easiest act of kindness that you can do in a day,” Levy said. “Not just for yourself, but for other people who might have autoimmune issues. People who, if they were to contract COVID with those issues might have some devastating repercussions."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its initial position on face masks as more information about the coronavirus has developed. Early on in the pandemic, public health officials said there was no need to wear a mask in public.

The CDC changed that guidance in April, advising Americans to wear cloth facing covers to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The agency says people should avoid buying medical-grade surgical masks to avoid a shortage of personal protective equipment for first responders.

But authorities nationwide are questioning how to enforce face-mask policies as some people across the country push back on wearing them, often lashing out at retail workers who attempt to impose the rule.

A Costco employee was praised for his handling of an angry customer after video of the incident posted to Twitter on Monday.

In the 37-second video, which has more than 6.8 million views, a customer who appears to be in a checkout line tells a Costco employee, "I'll just put you on my 3,000-follower Instagram feed, mostly locals."

The employee waves to the camera and says: "Hi everyone. I work for Costco and I'm asking this member to put on a mask because that is our company policy.”

Security video released last week showed a guard at a Target in Los Angeles being attacked by two men who refused to wear face masks inside the store

In early May, officials in Stillwater, Oklahoma, amended an emergency declaration requiring customers to wear face masks inside businesses after store employees were threatened with violence.