Wearing a mask has become such an issue for Americans the debate has turned into political talking points with the presidential election right around the corner. The democratic candidate Joe Biden released a statement saying he would make masks mandatory for all Americans. This statement was made after the republican candidate, Donald Trump, did not require face mask for his recent rally in Tulsa. So how did we get here? On April 3rd, the CDC advised all people to wear face masks or coverings in public situations when social distancing cannot be maintained. While some industries have eased regulations on face masks, most businesses requiring contact with customers or other employees to do business are still required to wear masks. Although this is true for most of the United States, each state has individual restrictions concerning the proper PPE for each industry. Individual state restrictions have led to states with weaker restrictions on PPE to have a rise in COVID-19 cases after the restrictions have eased. With the recent surge in cases, the United States should have the vision to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by instilling a sense of value to the use of a face mask for the American people.
In recent weeks, there has been a substantial increase in new COVID-19 cases in the United States. Just as recent as Wednesday (6/24), Florida saw over 5,500 new cases of COVID-19. This surge in cases has led to top US doctors and statisticians to analyze why this recent surge is happening to help prevent an additional outbreak. In a statement made by one of the United States top doctors, Anthony Fuci, he says the recent spread of COVID-19 is attributed to “community spreading”. The spreading throughout the community could be due to eased restrictions on facemasks, and along with recent large gatherings of people for rallies and protests surrounding political and social issues suggests Anthony Fuci. Also, In a video, he says, “people should not remove their masks when shouting in large crowds.” This statement was made after the US has seen many large protests surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement in cities and towns all across America. With summer finally here, large gatherings of people are common across all of America as they flock towards beaches and lakes nearby. In places like Ocean City, Maryland in the summer months they have 8 million tourist visit just a 9 mile stretch of beach. Therefore, if people are going to gather the government should implement required barriers like facemask to prevent further spreading of the disease.
The fear of COVID-19 is still present in the across the world as nations are taking precautions to slow the spread of the virus to prevent a second wave of cases. In Japan, the national government has been successful in prevention by implementing a social distancing regulations and face mask requirements’. This has led to Japan being viewed as one of the safest nations given its low case count. The United States government, both the Federal and State levels, have not been successful in preventing the further spread of COVID-19. This poor response has become more apparent in recent days as the EU considers blocking travel from the United States because they view the US as risky, given the recent surge in new cases. Although a lot of the blame can be placed on just the presidents, people must also look at the actions taken by state governments. Last week, some state eased restrictions on social interaction and face masks requirements. The weak restrictions were seen seen in states like Nevada, Florida, and Texas. In recent weeks after eased restrictions, the three state all saw considerable increases in new case counts of COVID-19. This rise in case count is a prime example of why the United States should be reinforcing face masks rather than “turning a blind eye.” If communication and legislation between state and national government improved, this will cause legislation to become aligned with preventing the spread of the disease, rather than using it to support their political agenda. The first step to becoming more proactive is by instilling a sense of value in both the Federal and State levels that face masks work. To support this argument, they can share the evidence seen in Japan to prove face masks and preventive social measure help fight against the further spread of disease.
Although most people agree that face masks should be required during public interactions, some do not wear masks and do not follow social distancing. This side of the argument claims masks, in general, do not work and sometimes increase the chances of contracting another disease. One reason for this is that all people are not hygienic. Therefore, a mask could become dirty, and if the mask is not replaced, it will increase the chances of a person contracting an illness. Although this point is valid, the CDC and large hospitals like Johns Hopkins have issued ways to care for masks to ensure that it is clean and safe to use. Just because there is a risk associated with wearing proper PPE does not mean we should abandon it. There is conclusive evidence supporting that if face mask is appropriately taken care of, they help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the notion that we should not require face mask will hurt the United States’ efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19.
The mask or no mask debate will continue to be in headlines with the threat of COVID-19 still present. Therefore, the Federal and State government should implement legislation to require the use of face masks for everyone in a public setting. Face masks should not be looked at as a burden because they prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases. The US can use the model that was use in Japan to help jumpstart the discussion and persuade the American people to wear masks. In conclusion, the use of face masks should become a part of the “new norm” to prevent any further outbreaks from occurring here in the United States.
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