When coronavirus (COVID-19) started, my home state of Arizona didn't have it bad at all. I would watch the news and keep up with the daily case amounts but AZ didn't seem that bad in comparison to places like New York.

When I went out in public and was the only person wearing a mask, using gloves, and religiously coating my hands in hand sanitizer, I wasn't too worried. My worry began to grow when the number of cases started to grow and I did not see any changes. Until the mayor of my city made it mandatory for masks to be worn in public on Monday, June 22, only about 20 percent of people in public were wearing them.

Am I happy that masks are now required to be worn in public? Absolutely! I think that this is something that is needed because of the dramatic increase in cases. By dramatic, I mean that Arizona had 2,500+ new cases in the past three days. Yesterday (June 23) there were 3,000+ new cases. I am just upset that it took making masks mandatory — making a law — in order for people to wear them.

An assumption that could be made is that Arizona is finally starting to regulate testing and test more. That is not true, we have had testing happening for a while now. My local CVS Pharmacy has a drive-thru test option, for heaven's sake. There are many easy ways to get tested!

I truly believe that because of my fellow Arizonians' lack of care for others and the inability to wear a mask for 20 minutes of their lives, COVID has run rampant.

In my opinion, the reason why Arizona is such a hotspot for COVID is the lack of care for others shown by its population. By wearing a mask, you're thinking about others and putting their needs before your own. And you are protecting yourself at the same time! I don't know about you, but I would hate to be that one person who is selfish and doesn't wear a mask and is then responsible for someone's death. If you don't have a mask you can buy one via Etsy or an online store or even make one — all you need is a bandana, a cloth, or even an old T-shirt.

In a society that praises selfish people can we please just be selfless and wear a mask?

Arizona, we need to and must do better, our lives literally depend on it.