Paula and Pat Messenger dressed up in Hawaiian shirts and University of Oregon masks to virtually attend an online wedding ceremony for friends who had canceled their destination wedding for something small streamed online.

Face masks and shields are not a panacea to the coronavirus pandemic.

But they can reduce the risk of people spreading the virus in crowded indoor spaces where it’s difficult to maintain social distancing.

How much that risk is reduced depends on too many factors for a definitive answer to be possible.

But any reduction is better than none.

The Oregon Health Authority says modeling shows the coronavirus infections could have exponential growth in the middle of July. That could mean enough patients would need to be hospitalized that hospitals would again have to start limiting nonurgent procedures. Gov. Kate Brown could feel the need to reinstate limits on public gatherings.

“I am asking Oregonians to take this very, very seriously,” Brown said recently. “The increase in cases is alarming. We have done a really good job so far.”

That’s sufficient reason for wearing a mask in those circumstances where, since Wednesday, July 1, face coverings have been mandated statewide by an order that Gov. Kate Brown announced on June 29.

Donning a mask inside public buildings is a matter of respect for others — no different from stepping off a sidewalk to let others pass while taking a stroll, or complying with the one-way aisle arrows at the grocery store.

Many of us instinctively resist conformity. It is in many cases an admirable trait, one entirely in keeping with the American ideals of individualism and freedom.

But taking a simple action to help slow the spread of a disease that is especially dangerous to older people, who already have health problems, does not constitute capitulation to government overlords.

It’s just a way to show that you care about your fellow humans and want to take steps to protect the most vulnerable among us.

Wearing a mask can also help local businesses that have struggled mightily over the past four months. If Oregon doesn’t reverse the recent trend of increasing rates of infections, then it’s possible that more strict regulation of businesses could return. Local business owners don’t deserve that. Some might not be able to survive a return to lockdown.

We’ll all be grateful when masks are again confined to health care workers and Halloween. And by strapping on a square of fabric when it’s called for, we should be able to hasten that.