Continuing to wear masks in the United States is a vaccine for the absurd situation

Mohamed Badra / EFEThe United States recently decided to allow vaccinated citizens to use masks

As stated in it United States Begin to return to pre-infection default, official guidelines for use More expensive Are relaxed. It must have been a happy moment, but, judging by the reactions in the press and on social media, the result was more chaos than relief. It seems that this is a crisis of trust in officials and companies that has been around since the beginning International spread. In February 2020, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised people not to wear masks, and changed the recommendation in April. During this time, scientists learned more about the spread Govit-19, And many other countries and World Health Organization (WHO) Changed their position regarding the use of masks. But what remains is that the CDC was triggered by at least part of the need for health professionals to protect PPE stocks. The move may have had a positive impact on public health, but the effect on public confidence in the CDC was negative.

As the vaccine progressed, but the herd was far from immune, the company gradually began to relax its guidelines. It was suddenly announced that those who had been vaccinated no longer needed to wear masks. For those who have been vaccinated, even in closed environments, without social distance, it is generally released with a few exceptions. But there is no way to check who was vaccinated or not. With low reliance on CDC, not everyone believes that vaccines are adequately protected from infection and transmission, even without a mask. It is speculated that this change may again be due to indirect causes. In this case, the output will be An incentive Go vaccinate those who have not yet been vaccinated so that you can finally stop using the mask.

An almost absurd situation arises in which (at least according to reports in the press and social media) those who are most cautious between vaccinations prefer to wear the mask regularly and are skeptical of those who do not.. After all, they cannot be sure that the ‘unleashed’ are the ones who are actually vaccinated, the ones who refuse, the ones who are not vaccinated or simply do not want to reveal that they have not been vaccinated. Once this distrust has occurred, or a sufficient number of people Believe me That is, the social pressure to wear the mask constantly arises. Even those who have been vaccinated feel safe without masks, say they want to continue using it, and whether or not they are vaccinated still do not feel safe sharing places with face-shooters.

(Contrary to what the CDC recommends, can we end up with a situation where vaccines are likely to continue to wear masks? This is not possible – in a press survey Economist, Only 5% of respondents did not want to be vaccinated or wear a mask – but the possibility is even sadder.) The CDC only provides guidelines, which are not mandatory. Governors, mayors and business owners may decide to ask for more masks. But, in a full reopening, each institution has the burden of balancing the options of those who want to get rid of the mask and those who want to be cautious. Any decision will irritate a section of the public. Finally, it would not be a bad thing if the epidemic took over the United States (and Brazil, And the whole world) masks follow the normal social norms, at least for the sick or during the flu season. But it is better to achieve these terms through awareness of the need to protect others, rather than widespread distrust.