Face masks should be normalized in the U.S. after the coronavirus pandemic because of the benefits it can provide, like slowing the spread of other diseases. But it won't be easy convincing people to continue wearing them after the threat of COVID-19 passes.
This pandemic has changed people’s everyday routines and made wearing face masks essential when going out.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an order in June, which made face coverings mandatory in public spaces where social distancing is not possible. This has enraged some people who feel that it is an infringement on their civil liberties.
This gave rise to the “anti-maskers,” people who refuse to wear masks.
A probability-based Gallup Panel survey conducted from June 29-July 5 indicated that only 44% of Americans always wear a mask in public, while 28% wear one often and 29% wear a mask sometimes or never.
It’s crazy to think how wearing a mask gets so many people upset, despite the research showing how it can actually save lives.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, a July 14 news release stated that the CDC, “affirms that cloth face coverings are a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19 that could reduce the spread of the disease, particularly when used universally within communities.”
The website also included the current case numbers for the U.S., which has had approximately 6.5 million COVID-19 cases as of publication.
Out of the 50 states, California has the highest number of cases in the U.S. at almost 755,000 as of publication.
Because of the struggle to manage the amount of COVID-19 cases, masks will likely be mandatory until the numbers decrease.
But even when they are no longer mandated, masks should stick around because they provide health benefits that would still apply even after the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the CDC, masks are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings.
Using a mask helps to prevent an asymptomatic carrier of the virus from potentially spreading it to others.
According to an April 3 Los Angeles Times article, recent studies indicate that “at least 12% to 20% of people who test positive for COVID-19 are asymptomatic and may be spreading the virus without realizing it.”
The main way that masks help to protect against illness is by blocking droplets that are emitted from our mouths when we speak.
Which means wearing a mask during flu season doesn’t sound like such a bad idea, because the number of people who catch the flu could potentially be cut drastically if everyone wore a mask.
The CDC estimates that in recent years, anywhere from 24 million to 45 million people are affected by the flu during its peak season, which is typically from December to January.
Wearing masks could lower the risk of infection by blocking droplets from individuals who have contracted the illness and prevent them from spreading it to others.
A 2018 report from the CDC concluded that 80,000 people in the U.S. died from the flu during the 2017 flu season.
If everyone wore masks, that number could have potentially been cut to a fraction of the cases.
While the health benefits of masks are the main reason why they should stick around, they can also be used another way.
In countries like Japan and South Korea, masks have become part of the fashion culture and are used to accessorize outfits.
Catherine Kim, an editorial intern at Politico, wrote about her experience going to middle school in Seoul in a Aug. 11 article and how face masks are used to define the cool and popular kids, making them seem “trendy and mysterious.”
She also touched on the fact that people in countries like South Korea wore masks before the government made it a requirement.
Kim talked about how masks saw increased usage in South Korea in 2008 when a member of a popular boy band at the time, Big Bang, was seen wearing them.
Masks have also been popularized in U.S. pop culture by singer Billie Eilish, who is often seen sporting a Gucci face mask.
Publicizing the fact that celebrities are wearing masks could potentially encourage their fans to adopt wearing them too.
Wearing a mask isn’t something that everyone necessarily wants to do, but it’s something that we should strive for because it has the potential to keep saving lives from the flu even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
