I Always Wear a Mask in Public

These days, I always wear a mask in public and when I meet with ‘new’ people indoor. I have been doing this ritual since March 15, 2020, because I wanted to protect myself from the coronavirus. Before the pandemic, I would only wear a mask during spring allergy seasons doing yardwork (against pollens), cleaning the house (against dust and cleaner fumes), or working with potentially hazardous chemicals in the labs (against solvents or chemical particulates).

I do not enjoy wearing a mask because it restricts breathing, fogging up glasses, and stifles in warm weather. I do it voluntarily because it offers some protection against dust, contaminants, and pathogens. I also wear a mask to protect others because one can never be sure if he or she has been infected. I do not wear an N-95 mask because it is more restrictive to breathing, almost impossible to procure, and recommended only for those in higher exposure risks such as healthcare providers.

I know that mask-wearing has become a divisive issue for Americans. Our President stated that he prefers not to wear one because he is frequently tested, and it is his freedom of choice not to wear one. I will endorse his preference if he is speaking as a private citizen. However, this is a very poor statement as a national leader and very much against the recommendations of CDS and WHO. As an unwanted consequence, his personal preference of not wearing a mask, have likely made the jobs more challenging for every governor, mayor, and store/restaurant owner to enforce a mask-wearing policy on their premises.

I know that there are pros and cons on types of masks and many questions on their effectiveness to safeguard the wearer from the coronavirus. The web is overwhelmed with complex and nuances transmission scenarios, and case studies of viral aerosols that travel long distances. Nevertheless, if one believes that the primary transmission of SARS-Cov2 into our respiratory tract is through liquid droplets from sneezing, coughing, or speaking, then any facial covering would significantly reduce this major transmission mode. The mask would also protect the wearer from touching his own face and nose and thus reduces the secondary pathway of transmission by surface contaminations.

Today, five months into the initial shutdown, the coronavirus is still spreading unchecked in many Southern states. The US has 5 million confirmed cases and over 150K deaths. The American GDP suffered an unprecedented 32% downturns in the second quarter with a record unemployment rate of 10-15% and already several trillion dollars of relief deficit spending.

The end of the pandemic or a vaccine is still nowhere in sight. Many appear to have lost interest in the pandemic, leaving our frontline healthcare staff to clean up the casualties and deal with the consequence of a lack of a clear and effective response as a nation.

All the time, a definitive and straightforward mask-wearing policy at a national level (plus social distancing) can still be the most effective policy of slowing down the spreading in just a few weeks to allow for a much safer reopening of the economy. Why can't we just do the simple thing first instead of just arguing who is right and keep convincing other nations that we are the best? We are still in a raging pandemic, a national crisis, and an unprecedented economical depression. Let's help yourself and your neighbors by donning a mask even though it is restrictive and you hated it...