The norms on mask-wearing need to shift
In the spirit of full disclosure, let me confess that I hate wearing a mask. It is not because of government mandates or covid-19 skepticism; the science on mask-wearing in indoor, poorly ventilated spaces is clear. I also wear glasses, however, and even the best masks inevitably lead to some fogging up of my lenses. I really prefer being able to see if I’m out in the world.
Since April of last year, my default has been to not wear a mask when outside walking my dog. Of course, if anyone started approaching me, I would immediately mask up (or, if I forgot to bring one, get the heck out of the other person’s way). Experts knew early on that the risk of catching the coronavirus from brief outside interactions was rare. Mostly, I was putting the mask on to alleviate the concerns of my Massachusetts neighbors.
Another confession: I cannot shake the hygiene theater impulse. It was clear last summer that the coronavirus was highly unlikely to spread via fomites. This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finally acknowledged that catching the coronavirus via contaminated surfaces was unlikely and that costly “deep cleaning” was no longer necessary.
Still, when I go to the supermarket, do I wipe down the handle to my shopping cart? Yes, yes I do. I am embarrassed to say it makes me feel better even though I know that it does not appreciably affect my chances of contracting the disease.
I bring these behavioral quirks up because the United States is either approaching or has gone past the point where mask-wearing outside is unnecessary. Zeynep Tufekci has been banging this drum for quite some time. Last week, Slate’s Shannon Palus wrote, “now, as we’ve come to know more about the virus, as vaccinations are ramping up, and as we’re trying to figure out how to live with some level of COVID in a sustainable way, masking up outside when you’re at most briefly crossing paths with people is starting to feel barely understandable.”