Jennifer Aniston Encourages Her Followers to Wear Face Masks: 'It Really Shouldn’t Be a Debate'

Friends star Jennifer Aniston posted a lengthy note to fans on Instagram on Tuesday, imploring them to wear face masks. The 51-year-old actress shared a selfie where she wore a black mask over her nose and mouth, staring earnestly into the camera. She begged her followers to think of others when they stepped outside.

Aniston began by acknowledging that "masks are inconvenient and uncomfortable," but pointed out that they are not as bad as many other effects of the coronavirus pandemic. "Businesses are shutting down... jobs are being lost... health care workers are hitting absolute exhaustion," Aniston wrote. "And so many lives have been taken by this virus because we aren't doing enough."

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I understand masks are inconvenient and uncomfortable. But don’t you feel that it’s worse that businesses are shutting down... jobs are being lost... health care workers are hitting absolute exhaustion. And so many lives have been taken by this virus because we aren’t doing enough. ⠀ ⠀ I really do believe in the basic goodness of people so I know we can all do this 🥰 BUT still, there are many people in our country refusing to take the necessary steps to flatten the curve, and keep each other safe. People seem worried about their “rights being taken away” by being asked to wear a mask. This simple and effective recommendation is being politicized at the expense of peoples’ lives. And it really shouldn’t be a debate 🙏🏼 ⠀ ⠀ If you care about human life, please... just #wearadamnmask 😷 and encourage those around you to do the same ❤️

A post shared by Jennifer Aniston (@jenniferaniston) on Jun 30, 2020 at 2:18pm PDT

Aniston struck a balance between the tones of tough love and patience, telling her fans that she believes in their "basic goodness," and therefore believes that they can be convinced to do the right thing for their communities. "BUT still, there are many people in our country refusing to take the necessary steps to flatten the curve, and keep each other safe," she wrote.

As for the anti-mask arguments, Aniston thought that they did not hold much water. She told fans that masks are not an infringement on their "rights," and that politicizing these accessories is costing lives.

"And it really shouldn't be a debate," Aniston wrote with a prayer-hand emoji. "If you care about human life, please... just [wear a damn mask] and encourage those around you to do the same."

Aniston's post picked up nearly a million likes in a matter of just 15 minutes. The actress' advice lines up with that of public health officials everywhere, who are urging the American people to wear face coverings any time they need to go out in public.

Masks became a hot button issue at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, with seemingly contradictory information circulating in the news and on social media. Earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci acknowledged that the public was initially told not to wear face masks unless they believed they had been exposed to COVID-19 because there was a shortage of PPE for doctors and nurses.

In an interview with the financial news website The Street, Fauci said that masks are a vital part of slowing the spread of COVID-19 and that new research shows they can be even more effective than previously thought. "Now we have masks, and we know that you don't need an N95 if you're an ordinary person in the street," he said. "We also know that simple cloth coverings that many people have can work as well as a mask in many cases."