How long will we wear masks?

I was halfway out the door last week to go to the grocery store, when I remembered I had to answer an email. I sit back to type out an answer, then get sucked into another task and probably work half an hour extra. Only when I was ready to really leave did I notice that I never took off my mask.

We’ve known life with face masks since last summer, and over the last few months the exercise has started to feel a bit automatic – it’s not fun at all, but at least it’s not annoying. We’re used to it. A colleague of mine told me that when he came to pick up his daughters at school, they should be reminded to take off their masks in the car.

To be clear: there is also an awkwardly large coalition of anti-maskers in this country – from proud to have the flight kicked off last June to protesting outside a Sephora in Beverly Hills just now (seriously). On top of that, there are still millions of Americans who are comfortable wearing masks. These people are sick of the pandemic, and since masks are the face of the pandemic, they are also sick of masks.

But for those of us who usually wore it, and willing to wear it in the name of public health, this moment actually offers a unique opportunity. Instead of banning our masks straight away once we reach herd immunity, it may be wise to stick to them and use them for purposes other than stopping COVID-19.

Earlier this year, a bunch of people jumped on Twitter and pointed it out they were not sick for a year. They not only escaped coronavirus but completely avoided everyone way of breathing, including flu and colds. This follows with actual research. In a study published by Oxford University in January, it was found that the flu had dropped by 95% (bringing it to a level not seen in 130 years). Even in the midst of the peak flu season, Mayo Clinics in various U.S. cities saw a positive percentage of 0.2% against tens of thousands of flu tests.

Facial coverage is not the only factor playing a role here – international borders are closed, nursery school pupils are distance learning and most people have not shaken hands for a year – but it is probably the X factor. According to Dr. Jay Woody, chief medical officer of Intuitive Health and a co-founder of Legacy ER & Urgent Care, the science is actually quite simple: “Masks reduce the rate of transmission of your respiratory droplets that spread to others. If we use our noses and “mouth covered, we are less likely to touch our faces or sneeze on surfaces and transmit bacteria. This is the most common way viruses spread. People touch surfaces and leave traces.”

The primary purpose of wearing a mask is to block projection transfer – to protect others from our own breathing drops. But the mercy of the Good Samaritan seems to get lost in the shuffle of the early pandemic (long before there were local commands or CDC recommendations on wearing a mask), when many of us assumed we were walking around with a face mask on. for personal protection. This misconception fueled the hysteria and confusion of the time. I clearly remember riding a New Jersey Transit train in March 2020 while seeing some masks and feeling irritated. For some, this mixture of irritation and ignorance has even turned into many public disputes.

These early mask wearers obviously had the right idea. Face coverings have been common in East Asia and Southeast Asia for decades now. Countries like China, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan have all been hit hard by past outbreaks like SARS or H1N1, but over time, masks have become ubiquitous for reasons other than stopping a pandemic. Jessica Tan, a general manager in Singapore, says: ‘Pre-COVID I wore a mask every time I got a cold. People wore masks to prevent them from spreading the flu to others, as well as to warn them to keep their distance. ”

Japan has a system similar to Singapore, where the use of a mask while you are ill has long been common practice. In the Philippines, meanwhile, people wear masks to prevent them from inhaling exhaust fumes. Shy Chinese youths apparently wear masks for an extra layer of privacy on the subway (a ‘social firewall’). And in Taiwan, masks are a popular option to keep your face warm in winter, which is a fringe benefit that many Americans have experienced over the past few months.

The benefit of using masks goes far beyond stopping viral infections or preventing teens from talking to each other – it even plays a role in Americans’ annual battle with allergens. There are nearly 20 million Americans suffering from seasonal allergies, who spend more than $ 10 billion on medicine and doctor visits. But a face mask can soften the hell that so many have to pay every April and May. As Dr Natasha Bhuyan of One Medical remarks: “[While] there is less research on allergies, one study found that nurses who wore shifts with masks for eight to 12 hours reported fewer allergy symptoms. The theory is that masks can also filter allergen particles, because they are usually larger. ”

This is mainly because the coronavirus itself is small. Pine tree pollen is 800 times larger than a coronavirus air droplet. Everyday masks – disposable, comfortable or sporty – are all designed to keep the coronavirus away. It follows that the protection against pollen is also good. Masks may not do much to alleviate the bothersome itching in your eyes, but it is likely to calm your nasal symptoms as you walk through a park or garden. From airborne particles to air quality, science does not really change. If you do not want to inhale harmful pollutants – or inhale a veld fire smoke during the West Coast summer – masks are a good idea.

Facials do have a few dissenters (of a real intellectual variety, not just people who wander around and appropriate quotes from the Declaration of Independence). Some have speculated that masks contribute to bad breath, and others have seen archipelagos of acne over their chin, or worse, a rash known as perioral dermatitis. Skin care experts have confirmed that wearing a mask for much of the day is similar to having an extra layer of skin attached to your body, creating an inner environment that is ideal for microbes to patch.

Although science is currently limited, another problem is a concept known as the ‘hygiene hypothesis’. Simply put, we can be also clean. Research has shown that children raised in over-hygienic homes are actually more susceptible to certain allergies. Consider the boy in The secret garden who first begins to find his strength as soon as he is out of bed, once he begins to roll around in the sun and dirt. It is unknown how long-term mask use will affect adults in this regard, and it feels unlikely that any adult will wear a mask in a world after 2021. more susceptible to autoimmune diseases, but we can not yet say with certainty.

The most legitimate issue is probably the social one. Similar to other large-scale, social introductions such as telephones or cars, a simple cloth can completely improve our norms and rhythms. From a behavioral psychological perspective, we do not know what it means for today’s children to grow up in a world of covered faces. Or how it turns into an adulthood with masks, after being left in one without, can affect social anxiety disorders. Many people reported social regression during quarantine – they forgot how to deal with people, especially strangers. Can masks become a self-defeating social crutch?

Eventually, it’s hard to imagine us getting to a place where the masking is so passionate and widespread that it causes problems. For those who would rather not wear it, it seems to have no benefit – not even saving the life (or lives of his friends and family) from a one-time infection. This is similar, according to dr. Leann Poston, of Wright State University, to other health places that constantly fall on disinterested ears. “You can definitely argue that spreading infections will reduce infections and help with allergies,” she says. ‘[Just] since eating only healthy foods can prevent obesity, smoking will not reduce the incidence of lung cancer, and exercising every day will reduce the risk of heart disease. ”

As the provisions of the emergency period disappear, it is up to each person to decide when and where they want to wear a mask. Some seasons and situations seem to make a lot of sense. Say: during the peak of the sick months every winter. Or when one gets on a bus, train or plane. You will find your limit. Just remember, someone else’s limit can easily – and quite reasonably – include concerts and ball games. At the moment, the prospect of seeing masks in 2030 sounds. This is definitely a bad remnant from a lost year. But it is also an extremely effective measure for public health your best interests in mind. Much better to be reminded of one shit year than to inhale half a dozen sneezes into your commuter home.

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