Why Some People Won’t Wear Masks

Donning a face mask on a daily basis is a totally new concept for most Americans.

But many in the U.S. are rebelling against the safety directive because they feel it’s forfeiting their freedom and civil liberties.

“We’re all hopeful that this pandemic disappears,” said Dr. David Aronoff, director of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Division of Infectious Diseases and a professor of medicine. “Then we can stop doing as much risk mitigation. But for now, we really depend on the trust and kindness of others to protect our wellbeing. And that’s part of being an American.”

He told CNN that people should consider the mask guidance not as forced conformity, but as a necessary act of solidarity.

However, in Michigan over 700 protesters gathered at the state capitol to protest stay-at-home orders. In March, a security guard at a Michigan Family Dollar store was shot and killed by customers after he had asked them to wear masks before entering the store.

Some view wearing a mask as a sign of weakness and vulnerability, according to CNN. Others simply don’t like to be told what to do. While masks are undoubtedly uncomfortable—another excuse not to wear them—they can save lives.

According to Healthline, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that masks are particularly important to reduce the transmission of the disease, especially in light of the fact many people who have the disease are asymptomatic.

‘It’s becoming increasingly clear that all people should be wearing masks while out in public. Masks are a likely reason why the virus was better controlled in China, South Korea, Japan, and other countries,” Dr. Subinoy Das, chief medical officer of Tivic Health, told Healthline.