Today, it’s more clear than ever that mask mandates are on their way out of America.
Six days ago, a federal judge ended the mandate that forced Americans to wear face masks while traveling on airplanes and other modes of public transportation.
The Biden administration already is working to appeal this. Although, amid news of the appeal, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says it’s not very likely that mask mandates are coming back to air travel.
Many folks are more than thrilled that the travel mask mandate is gone. However, in an interesting twist, a writer for the New York Times has actually come out against mask mandates, per Twitchy.
The Latest Argument Against Mask Mandates
In a series of tweets, NYT writer David Leonhardt made the case for Americans to move away from mask mandates.
Leonhardt expressed that masks are not as efficient as they were last year or even back in 2020. Likewise, he cited new science showing the ineffectiveness of cloth masks in particular.
3. The mask mandates we've had have often been the worst of all worlds: high burden, low benefit. People have been required to wear them for hours on end, causing exhaustion and polarization. Yet the mandates have included so many exceptions as to undermine their effectiveness.
— David Leonhardt (@DLeonhardt) April 22, 2022
According to the NYT writer, mask mandates have been extremely burdensome and polarizing, with few benefits to show for it. Moreover, individuals who want to mask up anyway can do so on their own with KN95 or N95 masks.
Unlike cloth masks, these coverings are actually shown to stop the spread of COVID, even if others choose not to wear face masks.
Later, Leonhardt said with various COVID therapies and vaccines available, the risk of serious COVID cases for folks with their boosters is similar to the likelihood of catching the flu.
One-Way Masking
As mask mandates are phased out of American society, this doesn’t impede anyone who still wants to mask up.
Recently, The Atlantic put out a piece about “one-way masking.” One-way masking entails individuals who want to mask up wearing N95s, along with having their vaccines and booster shots.
This is something that immunocompromised people can do, along with anyone else who feels more comfortable masking up.
Fortunately, one-way masking reduces Covid transmission. People who want to wear a mask because of an underlying health condition, a fear of long Covid or any other reason can do so. When they do, they deserve respect.
Use N95 or KN95!https://t.co/OUoDncpjDR
— David Leonhardt (@DLeonhardt) April 22, 2022
One-way masking allows each individual to do what is best for them without imposing their views or choices on everyone else around them.
United Airlines has already come out and said they’re willing to refund people who don’t feel comfortable on airplanes without mask mandates.
The United States, as a whole, is finally moving away from mandates and government bureaucracy in the name of supposedly stopping COVID.
With the end of mandates and the introduction of one-way masking practices, there is a path forward for anyone who truly wants it.
What do you think about a senior writer for the New York Times coming out against mask mandates? Please don’t hesitate to let us know your thoughts about this in the comments section below.
