To Mask or Not To Mask? A small primer on what the fuss is about.

A mask.

A simple piece of cloth with two strings at the end used to cover your face. Or rather, a simple piece of fabric has sparked political debate and been at the centre of controversy throughout the United States. Although the majority of the Americans follow the guidelines, recent statistics from the Pew Research Center indicate that Democrats are more likely to report wearing a mask than a Republican.

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Portrayal of the message from the leaders from the two parties.

The Democratic leaders such as Presidential Candidate Joe Biden have been more vocal about wearing masks. Whereas many Republican leaders although have spoken out about the importance of masks, others have been more hesitant to mandate masks even though their states have seen a resurgence of new cases amid reports of the phased opening of businesses. One of the most prominent of these Republicans is President Donald Trump himself. He stated that wearing a mask could be seen as a political statement against him and he even went as far as mocking Biden for wearing one.

The divide over masks should not be blamed solely on the President; as Dr Fauci noted in the early months of the pandemic there were concerns about the availability of PPE gear (inc. surgical and N95 Masks) needed for essential workers. These same concerns were echoed by the World Health Organisation, which in turn, influenced their belated decision to change its global guidance in favour of masks since June 5th. This U-turn has also left citizens questioning the importance of masks, considering it was not advised earlier to wear one.

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The mask has become an identifier of a person's beliefs and their political stance in a global health crisis.

Mask wearing has now become a battle about encroachment on personal liberty. Majority of the recent studies conducted by scientists across the States support the notion that wearing a mask limits the transmission of the virus. For those pro-maskers, the mask is a representation of making a compromise for the greater good, which could be viewed as a utilitarian argument, the greater good for the greatest number of people.

In Florida, a citizen stated that the Government had no right in regulating breathing and that that right was only for God to decide. Devin Stone, a prominent litigator, describes on his YouTube channel (LegalEagle), how not everything you do not like violates your constitution. For example, under the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, it states:

‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people’.

The Federal Government’s powers are not unlimited, so States and smaller units of Government have the ability to implement legislation to regulate certain conduct. In a pandemic, the Federal Government has broader powers to protect citizens from a virus that could be life-threatening.

On the other hand, Citizens do have rights that cannot be taken away from any particular laws, and if a law appears to conflict with the Constitution, those who are affected are able to challenge that law in Court.

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During the Spanish Flu, masks were mandated.

It is evident that many complied with the rules in the past because they believed it was their civic duty, in the current circumstances many had pushed the agenda that in fact, it is not their civic duty to wear a mask. Still, this is a political or a conspiracy theory pushed by the Government.

Regardless of citizens' personal opinions to not wear a mask, the ADA and the CDC, alongside some of the best scientists in the world have confirmed through in-depth research that wearing a mask does reduce transmission of the virus. Further research was conducted by the CDC which, also confirmed that 35% of those who did test positive for COVID-19 did not show any symptoms.

The mask has become a shibboleth, or a political password, which is ascribed to a specific certain behaviour that signifies the desired sort of America the wearer (or the mask-agnostic) wishes America to be home to.