Why the Government Should Pass a Mask Mandate

If you’ve been keeping up with the latest COVID-19 news, then you’d be aware about the sky-rocketing cases averaging at more than 100,000 cases each day. The deaths are reaching highs we haven’t experienced, and ICUs all around the country are being filled to the brim. To say the least, doctors and nurses are overworking themselves day and night to save lives.

So what can we do?

Healthcare professionals are asking the public to do one thing: wear a mask. Wearing a mask is the only solution we have right now, and even though the vaccine might seem right on the way, most of the population won’t be able to get vaccinated until early-mid next year. So, it’s very apparent that making masks a priority is the only way we’re going to lower the curve.

So what’s our problem?

The reason exists are purely based of false-claims. Many people are against wearing masks, claiming that they can’t breathe with it on or saying that the government can't enforce them to wear a mask. The government is allowed to enforce a mask mandate however. We are in a pandemic and being the federal government, they are allowed to do whatever they think is best for us. An example of this can be seen when the government banned smoking in certain places because it can jeopardize other people's health. The same thing goes for masks. They don't want you to put other people at risk. They also claim that it doesn’t work, but they have misunderstood. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, we may be reaching a death toll of 470,000 people by early March 2021 if the way things are now continue. But, if at least 95% of the population wore a mask, then 130,000 lives will be saved. Even if 85% of the population wore a mask, then 96,000 of those deaths will not happen. Wearing a mask won’t just protect you, it protects the people around you as well.

Now if the government were to mandate masks, then more people would listen. Especially the fact that wearing a mask has somehow become political these days. If the current president were to mandate wearing masks, then more people would listen because that is someone they elected, they will believe him. But since he hasn’t, there are people out there that walk around without masks, endangering themselves and the people around them. If the government mandated masks, more people would listen leading to less transmission of the virus which would result in less cases going to the hospital which means the healthcare professionals won’t be overworking themselves. That’s an extremely good thing.

If the government were to mandate masks, it would save thousands of lives. That is just one easy step that can be taken to protect the country, helping us to get through this pandemic. We all need hope at this unprecedented time, and mandating masks would be a way to help us get through this.

Check out our Instagram at @one_mask_one_life_one_world for an infographic on this topic! Til then, stay strong and mask on!

Written by: Keerthana Thirumal

Infographic by: Meenakshi Vinod