The Purpose of a Mask Mandate

We’re all accustomed to rules that bring order to our world and keep us safe, and most of us don’t think twice about why we shouldn’t drive drunk or take things that don’t belong to us. These rules just make sense and are enforced by our justice system. In the not so distant past, I remember living by the rules and somehow I still felt like a free-living American with some power over my own life and decisions. Apart from the responsibilities of my job and family, I went where I wanted, wore what I wanted, and did what I wanted to do. No one was guilting me over not thinking enough on death or how I could be making the whole world sick just by breathing. No one criticized me for going to church or taking my family on a nonessential beach vacation. Things have changed drastically over the past few months and the rules are no longer based upon reason. Mentally and emotionally I’m collapsing under a slew of mandates forcing me to live every moment of every day in a mode of fear and self-sacrifice. I can’t even make a simple trip to the grocery without being reminded of how little control I have over my own life and what everyone else is doing to protect me. They say social distancing, isolation and mask-wearing are for the good of others, yet I’m floundering here, unsure how long I can hold it together before I crack under the pressure of being responsible for the welfare of so many. Maybe others can’t see the intensity of my exasperation because I’m hiding behind a mask, but my frustration is real and I’m not going to be of much help to any others after a mental breakdown. Surely our compassionate leaders recognize our struggles, but if that’s the case, why are they ignoring this under the guise of protecting us from a virus with a 97% recovery rate, and why are they making us wear these ridiculous masks everywhere?

The mask mandate is a point of great contention for me. I’d like to believe they’re just ignorant to the truth of mask wearing, but with our state leaders coordinating their efforts with health advisors, it’s a stretch to grasp how ignorance is possible. So what’s wrong with wearing a mask? If we’re really concerned about our fellow Americans shouldn’t we want to wear a mask? The answer is way more complicated than people make it seem. Psychologist are actually studying mask wearing at present, to determine why many object so harshly to the mandate. It’s an enigma that may have something to do with our internal hard wiring for survival. Masks may protect in some scenarios, but they can also conceal facial features and expressions, thereby shrouding the identity or bad intentions of others, and they cause us to inhale our own respiratory waste, which may trigger a psychological response even without underlying respiratory concerns. According to history, of all the interventions instituted to reduce the spread of disease during the Spanish Flu pandemic, mask wearing is said to have invoked the most rebellion. If it’s just a mask why would this objection be shared by humans separated by a hundred years? We don’t know.

I personally believe mask wearing breaks our connection with other humans. We are created for life in community and when everywhere we go we are greeted by a mask, there is a disconnect, perhaps even mistrust is built, and a red flag triggers in our brain to tell us something is wrong. We may never be able to articulate the aversion, yet on a subconscious level we feel disconnected and fearful. Just seeing people in masks has been shown to increase anxiety and fear for many.

I’ve worked in healthcare for 20 years and I understand the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE). In the right situations PPE can be very effective in reducing the spread of microbial infections. Sadly, that is only half of the story. Most people understand that the purpose of the mask mandate is to reduce the spread of disease or COVID in particular, at this time, but what many don’t understand is that healthcare workers are trained in PPE management before they ever get their first job. While mandating PPE or a mask for the masses may seem a logical action considering the pandemic, without that missing second half of criteria, mask wearing can be as useless as tinfoil hats in protecting people from radiation poisoning. Most nurses and healthcare workers I know, have been baffled by the mandate, some even believe long term mask wearing could actually cause other health problems, like lung infections not related to COVID and oxygen deprivation which might effect cognitive function. Only time will tell if there is any merit to those concerns. For others the mandate is like a parody of the PPE management training received in school. The current mandate would be the humorous “what not to do” segment; including reusing masks, leaving contaminated masks laying around or stuffed in bags or pockets and touching masks repeatedly while they are worn, adjusting them, putting them on and off, etc. Without proper training in PPE management, the risk of infection is actually increased for everyone.

So truly, if the masks are so vital to the survival of the human race and reducing the spread of disease, why has there been no push for education on the management and handling of masks? Is the training that I received in school obsolete, and will our healthcare regulations become more relaxed regarding PPE use as a result of the COVID mandate? Will surgeons start wearing trendy, cotton masks to surgery, masks they wear throughout the day, leave in their car overnight, on their desk between surgeries, pull out of their pocket before meeting with patients or family members? Will the extensive pre-surgical washing be replaced with hand sanitizer slathered over latex free gloves, and reslathered if they should accidentally touch their tainted mask? Is this where we’re heading with this? Truly if a mask mandate isn’t worth doing right, then why are we doing it at all? I’m going to offer a little grace and chalk it up as another mandate whose purpose has been lost in execution.