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Apr 24, 2021 · However, the mask adoption rate in the United States is still less than optimal. This study aims to understand the beliefs held by individuals who oppose the use of facial masks, and the evidence that they use to support these beliefs, to inform the development of targeted public health communication strategies.
- Overview
- A flashpoint issue
- Masks forever? What the science says
When federal health officials recently announced that fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks in most situations, Jaz Johnson was among those who kept hers on.
Johnson, 46, of Kansas City, Missouri, has received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, but she has no desire to go maskless. For the past year, Johnson has avoided the colds and flu she normally gets. So has her 95-year-old grandmother, who lives with her.
In addition to helping keep her and her family healthy, masks have offered Johnson something else: the chance to hide emotions, such as contempt when someone is standing too close to her in a checkout line, or boredom when a relative tells the same story for the tenth time.
“I am one of those people that cannot lie or get away with anything,” Johnson, who works in information technology, said. “It’s been pretty fun now that no one really knows, necessarily, what I’m thinking.”
As mask mandates ease across the country, many people are finding that their affinity for face coverings extends beyond health reasons. Even with no requirement to wear their masks, some people are continuing to do so — having come to appreciate the reprieve they provide from stifling social expectations while out in public.
These mask-wearers say they see a multitude of benefits to covering up. No one can tell you to smile when you don’t feel like it. It gives you a break from putting on makeup. And it provides a degree of anonymity.
Masks have consistently been one of the most divisive issues of the pandemic, and those still wearing theirs have received mixed responses.
Felipe, 32, who works in business administration for a small home health company in central Florida and asked to be identified by his first name only out of fear for his safety, recently found himself at the center of a social media maelstrom over what he thought was a benign tweet.
“Normalize wearing masks when you have any sort of cold/flu symptoms. Forever. It’s been nice to not even have a cold in over a year,” he wrote.
The tweet went viral, garnering more than 416,000 likes. But it also attracted criticism. Some people argued that he was infringing on their freedom, others called him crazy, and some called for him to be publicly beaten.
“I’m not saying it should be a law or a requirement,” Felipe said. “It’s an altruistic thought: Taking care of our neighbors, your community, your family. You can take one little step that’s not really that big of an inconvenience to help them out.”
Others feel the same way. Jason Cavallaro, 42, a primatologist in southwest Louisiana, still wears his mask most places, but believes at some point he will become what he calls a “situational masker” — putting on a mask mostly when he feels sick and must go out.
The public health benefits of masking combined with social distancing were striking this past year. U.S. flu deaths, normally in the tens of thousands annually, were significantly lower.
But while the experts see a place for masks going forward, most don’t believe everyone should wear them all the time.
Mar 12, 2021 · (AP Images) By Noah Y. Kim March 12, 2021. If Your Time is short. Because of ethical considerations, scientists haven’t been able to conduct randomized controlled trials to conclusively prove the...
Jan 12, 2022 · Results show that the mask-wearing concerns can be classified into three categories; discomfort barriers (physical discomfort and communication discomfort), external factors (overstated news about coronavirus threat, political beliefs, and absence of mask-wearing culture), and usability issues (lack of effectiveness, unnecessariness of masks in ...
- Pouyan Esmaeilzadeh
- Prog Disaster Sci. 2022 Jan; 13: 100215.
- 10.1016/j.pdisas.2022.100215
- 2022/01
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Jul 19, 2021 · Introduction. Figures. Abstract. Human behavior can have effects on oneself and externalities on others. Mask wearing is such a behavior in the current pandemic. What motivates people to wear face masks in public when mask wearing is voluntary or not enforced?
- Ankush Asri, Viola Asri, Baiba Renerte, Franziska Föllmi-Heusi, Joerg D. Leuppi, Juergen Muser, Reto...
- 2021
Sep 14, 2020 · Media reinforced illness-preventing guidelines daily, and people were encouraged to use telehealth to meet their healthcare needs. Mass media has an imperative role in today’s world and it can provide a unified platform for all public health communications, comprehensive healthcare education guidelines, and robust social distancing strategies ...
Apr 4, 2020 · With the coronavirus pandemic quickly spreading, U.S. health officials have changed their advice on face masks and now recommend people wear cloth masks in public areas where social...
