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EDITORIAL: The politicization of masks

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, masks have become a universal symbol. It has come to represent the extent to which COVID-19 and related factors associated with lockdown, mandates and restrictions have, and continue to impact our society.
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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, masks have become a universal symbol. It has come to represent the extent to which COVID-19 and related factors associated with lockdown, mandates and restrictions have, and continue to impact our society.

Today, Canadians are exposed to a fraction of the many restrictions that were previously imposed, throughout the beginning stages of the pandemic. In addition to individual capacities, along with travel/quarantine restrictions and vaccine mandates, the need for masks continues to drastically reduce across the nation. Changes in national, provincial and municipal policy have continued to ease public health measures that have been previously implemented to protect and prevent the spread against COVID-19 (1). This reduction of enforcing mask mandates has foreseeably reduced mask-use among Canadians (1).

The topic of masks has been abstracted beyond their preventative utility towards mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Masks, for many, project political objectives over those that are purely health-related (2). Masks may represent ideologies pertaining to an infringement of rights and lack of personal autonomy – thus, facilitating division between those who choose to wear a mask and those who don’t (2).

This politicization of masks may have been counterproductive in the macro-scale. Intended or not, periods of mass restrictions and mandates involving mandatory mask-usage might have socialized Canadians on masks as a political symbol rather than precautionary tool.

For this reason, as restrictions continued to be lowered despite a still significant presence of COVID-19 among other upper-respiratory illnesses, the evolving perceptions of masks among the Canadian population is a paramount issue that should be discussed.

Objective Utility of Masks

Politics aside, the scientific community remains unanimous in their consensus on the effectiveness of masks in significantly preventing the spread of COVID-19 (3). Masks have and continue to be utilized as an effective manner of reducing the transmission probability of disease (airborne in nature), particularly against COVID-19 when compliance is high (3).This very notion supports the sentiments of public health officials who remain hesitant against the removal of mask mandates/requirements.

Eastern Societies, Collectivist Thinking and Mask Usage

Given the medical relevance and evidence-supported utility of masks, how can we promote mask compliance without treading too far within storm-ridden political waters?

A solution may be found on the other side of the globe. Many East-Asian cultures have long viewed and utilized masks as a social tool that enabled civic responsibilities and communal well-being (4). Masks in many instances were seen as a widespread social norm, used under the circumstance of protecting oneself against air pollution, infectious disease and preventing the spread of disease towards others (4).

The normalization of masks as a collective tool to contribute towards the greater good of society seems to be a less divisive, and a more sustainable method of improving mask compliance, as opposed to simply implementing regulation (5). The facilitation of these norms, particularly in democratic East Asian societies (i.e. South Korea, Japan, etc.) shows promise in creating a space where masks are encouraged in the name of civic responsibility and the general good (6). Campaigns that would promote the use of masks during times where the spread of infection has/may have been more likely (i.e. flu season) should be considered as a valid strategy in reintroducing the need for masking to avoid the preventable spread of disease.

Francis Fernandes & Aida Zaheer are 3rd year Health Sciences students are the University of Waterloo and writers for the Antarctic Institute of Canada.

Austin A. Mardon, is an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, director of the Antarctic Institute of Canada, an Order of Canada member, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.