Face masks have become one of the most polarizing issues of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wearing a face mask was made mandatory in many countries around the world, but some people consider those regulations to be restrictive for their personal freedom. So when will we be able to go out without any mask at all? Find out now!
1. Why Are We Wearing Face Masks?
According to the world’s leading health organizations, every person on Earth except for children younger than 2 and people who have trouble breathing, should wear a face mask at all times when they are out in public. But why exactly are face masks such a must-have during the pandemic? There are 3 main reasons for that:
Prevention of asymptomatic spread. By some estimates, up to 50% of COVID-19 transmission takes place before the patient develops any symptoms at all. Wearing a mask all the time in public, even though you feel absolutely fine, is an easy way to avoid becoming a spreader of the disease unknowingly.
Prevention of the transmission. The important thing to know that in most cases, a face mask does not guarantee 100% protection against the coronavirus. However, wearing a face mask correctly over your nose and your mouth reduces the risk of getting infected.
Improves public immunity. The more people wear a face mask in public, the lower the speed and intensity of the coronavirus spreading would be. If over 90% of people wore face masks every time they go out, the pandemic would fizzle out much faster.
2. When Can We Stop Wearing Masks?
Wearing a face mask in public may seem like a 2020 novelty for most of the world’s population, but it has been the norm for years in at least one part of the globe: Asia. Since the 2003 SARS outbreak, which affected China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other Asian countries, as well as spread to other parts of the world, wearing a face mask has become the new norm in Asia. Even before COVID-19, you could often see photos of masked people in Asia shopping, commuting, or simply walking around.
At the beginning of the current coronavirus pandemic, there were conflicting reports with some researchers suggesting that masks not only did not help stop the spread of the disease, but actually made matters worse. Later, however, most medical professionals agreed that while face masks did not give a 100% protection, they were still the most accessible and effective way to limit the spread of the disease, along with frequent hand washing and social distancing.
The world is far from the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we will be wearing our masks for months or, more likely, years from now. However, even when the coronavirus dwindles down, researchers expect face masks to become the new norm because face masks don’t just help with COVID-19 – they improve the hygiene and health of the entire world.
The pandemic has changed the way we treat our health and the health of others. For many people, going to school, market, or work with obvious symptoms of respiratory disease was not a big deal even in early 2020. Now, if you are experiencing any suspicious symptoms, your instinct is to wear a face mask and avoid going in public unless absolutely necessary. This behaviour is likely to stick around, so you will probably need to keep a couple of face masks in your drawer even a decade from now.
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