Are we done with face masks?

Mandates around the globe are ending, but don’t throw out your masks yet.

Face masks were one of our earliest interventions to slow the spread of Covid-19. For two years we’ve largely relied on local governments and businesses to tell us when and where to wear them, but now those mandates are being lifted. So is it actually safe to take off the masks for good?

It depends on who you are and where you are. Cases are dropping in many places around the world after a harsh omicron surge, but some countries are still fighting off deadly waves of the virus. Many public health experts are warning that the pandemic isn’t over yet, even if it feels like it is to some of us. It’s a good idea to hang onto your mask for now, but that doesn’t mean you have to wear it every day for the rest of your life, just that you should take a few key things into consideration. Check out the video above to learn more about risk mitigation as we weather the third year of a pandemic.

Some resources for Covid-19 numbers:

Studies on the effectiveness of face masks and mandates:

And more from the CDC:

[Vox]

It's been just over 2 years since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic in the US. During that time, mask wearing, mandates, and vaccines became deeply polarizing topics.

[jordy.a]

What I don't get is why does wearing a face mask need to be so politicized in countries like the us and some in Europe?

[yanik.ottenbreit]

A missing premise is the problem with the me-mentality behind all of this. In Japan they've worn masks since far before the pandemic for yes, protecting oneself, but also as a SOCIAL OBLIGATION if you're feeling sick. If you feel sick and absolutely need to leave the house, you should mask up to protect others.

[angelamazakas]

Personally, I've always thought we should follow what they do in Japan. If you feel sick, wear a mask. Not for you, but for other people

[longqtravis]

Born and raised in Vietnam, wearing mask is a common thing for all of us as it not only protects us from pollution, but also works as face shades since we ride motorbikes everyday. I truly understand the struggle of Americans/Europeans because of the suffocation and irritation, but I always tryna think this way, our little effort of wearing a mask is saving and helping countless lives around you and people you love, so why not ?

[simontemplar]

Japanese people have used face masks to prevent the spread of respiratory illness in winter for decades. If you are ill and go to work you wear a mask to prevent others catching your illness. Also the elderly might be well served using a mask in crowded places in winter. This year's flu vaccine has been largely ineffective but continued caution on the part of the elderly has prevented the surge in deaths that we would have seen otherwise. Advice on mask wearing from Public Health agencies should discuss these issues and inform the public who can then make reasonable choices.

[MizzKittyBichon]

"We are all in this together." Not as long as politics and plain old ignorance keep getting in the way. 🙄

[bpxlyewz]

All those factors she mentioned that increase the risk: no ventilation, lot of people in a crowded space… Well, that’s every public classroom. In most schools they leave the doors shut for safety from intruders, with 30 - 36 students per class.

[khalilahd.]

I truly don’t understand why people are using safety as a political tool 🤦🏽‍♀️

[hauntingpuns]

I live in Taiwan, where everyone wears masks in public even when we're not mandated to. It's a part of our culture. We've had three days of zero domestic COVID cases in the past week. Masks work.

[pgplaysvidya]

i haven't been sick for 2 complete years now and counting. I love it - every year previously i would get the flu or a cold or something and be knocked out for a weekend. then the post infection cough would bother me for *months*

so yes i will still wear masks when commuting and when wandering around in a bus station. maybe not so much out in the street. And if people don't want to wear masks at all, all the power to them

I just don't understand what's going on - so are they saying the spread of covid is unlikely enough that if we all took off our masks it wouldn't be that bad?

[Fanny-pfoz]

I will keep masks around, even after pandemic. It might not have been something most Europeans and Americans are used to using before the pandemic, but since it's been proven effective Europeans and Americans certainly should make it a habit to wear masks - especially when flu season comes around and anytime you're sick. It's a habit to me now and I don't see why it can't continue to be a good habit.

[matthewtopping]

Not in Japan we aren't. It's shocking every time I see someone without their mask on.

[Gilamath.]

I'll be wearing a mask again as allergy season approaches. I'll have one with me just in case I need to enter somewhere that still mandates masks, wear one if I feel sick but need to go out for something, and maybe on cold days where a mask can take the place of a scarf. Turns out face coverings are pretty useful! But it'll definitely be nice not to have to wear a mask all the time

[elysianemily]

"Your cloudy day may be someone else's hurricane" well put!

[stevethibeault]

Were all in this together is the biggest lie ever told

[AFluffyDragon]

I work and live with vulnerable people . I don't mask up to reduce my risk, I do it to reduce theirs. I wouldnt be able to forgive myself if I impacted someones health. To me, its a no brainer.

[a.Hopeful]

The weather is a significant factor. Here in India, it's very difficult to stay masked up in hot summers, hard enough with a surgical mask, and almost unbearable with a N95.
Even so, we've been so habituated of masks in the last 2 years that it feels like a natural shield to me to switch from my regular surgical mask to a N95/double mask whenever entering a crowd, which is pretty common in one of the more dense countries in the World.

[callasky]

In my country, masks still mandatory both in open and closed spaces.

Some people wearing surgical mask in outdoors even before pandemic due to air pollution, so it's not a problem (at least for big cities).

[eliteassassingamer]

looks like dictatorship whenever i hear someone telling me to wear a mask.