Masks During Corona Outbreaks, Why Do Countries Use and Not?
When you travel outside the house without wearing a mask in Hong Kong, Seoul or Tokyo, then you will get a look of wonder.
Since the beginning of the corona virus outbreak, residents in several countries have fully worn masks, and anyone found not wearing it risks becoming social pariahs.
However, in other parts of the world, from Britain and the United States to Australia and Singapore, traveling with a bare face can still be tolerated.
Why do citizens of some countries wear masks while others avoid it? This is not only related to government directives and medical advice - but also about culture and history.
But when this pandemic gets worse will it change?
The government said about the mask
Since the corona virus outbreak began, official guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) has been very clear. There are only two types of people who must wear masks: those who are sick and show symptoms of Covid-19, and those who treat people suspected of being infected with the corona virus.
Others don't need to wear masks, and there are several reasons for this.
One of them is that the mask is not seen as a reliable protection, given the current research shows the virus spreads through saliva droplets and contact with contaminated surfaces.
So, a mask can protect you, but only in certain situations such as when you are close to other people in a location where an infected person might sneeze or cough near your face.
Also read: WHO: Again, Healthy People Don't Need to Wear Masks
This is why experts say often washing hands with soap and water is far more effective.
Without a mask, special attention is needed to avoid hand contamination and this can create a false sense of security.
But in some parts of Asia everyone now wears a mask in everyday life - this is seen as safer.
In mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and Taiwan, the widely assumed assumption is that anyone can be a carrier of the virus, even healthy people.
So, in the spirit of solidarity, you need to protect others from yourself.
Some governments urge all citizens to wear masks, and in some parts of China, you can even be arrested and punished for not wearing a mask.
While in Indonesia and the Philippines, which are suspected of having many unreported cases, most people in big cities are starting to wear masks to protect themselves from others.
For these countries, wearing masks was a cultural norm even before the corona virus. Masks have become a part of fashion - at one time masks with cartoon characters like Hello Kitty were found in the Hong Kong street market.
In East Asia, many people are accustomed to wearing masks when they are sick or during the fever season, because it is considered impolite to sneeze or cough openly.
The 2003 SARS virus outbreak, which affected several countries in the region, also encouraged the importance of wearing masks, especially in Hong Kong, where many people died from this virus.
So, one major difference between people in Asia and the West is that they have experienced transmission before - and their memories of infectious diseases are still fresh and painful.
While in Southeast Asia, especially in densely populated cities, many wear masks on the streets only because of pollution.
But the custom has not spread all over Asia - in Singapore, the government has urged people not to wear masks to ensure adequate supplies for health workers and people who really need it.
There is substantial public trust in the government, so people tend to listen to these directives.
Masks as social impulse
Some people argue that wearing a mask everywhere, as a reminder of the danger of this virus, can act as a "behavioral impulse" for you and others to maintain better personal hygiene.
"Wearing a mask every day before you go is like a ritual, like wearing a uniform and in your ritual," said Doald Low, a behavioral economist and professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
"You feel you have to live according to what is normalized by social norms that are considered hygienic behavior, such as not touching your face or avoiding crowds and maintaining social distance," he added.
Then, there is the idea that every little thing is needed in the battle against viruses.
"We cannot say whether the mask is ineffective, but we consider the mask to have an effect because of the protection it provides to health workers," said Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong.
"If a face mask is used on many people in crowded areas, I think it will have an effect on public transmission, and at the moment we are looking for every small step we can to reduce transmission - it increases."
But of course there are weaknesses. Some places such as Japan, Indonesia and Thailand face a lack of supply at this time, and South Korea has to distribute masks.
There is fear that people will eventually reuse masks - which are unhygienic - using masks sold on the black market, or wearing homemade masks, which can be of lower quality and are basically useless.
People who do not wear masks in these places also experience stigma, to the point that they are shunned and prevented when entering shops and buildings.
In Hong Kong, some tabloids show pictures on their covers of Westerners who don't wear masks and gather in groups in the nightlife district, and criticize expatriates and tourists for not taking adequate precautions.
In countries where wearing masks is not part of the norm, as in the Western world, those who wear masks will be avoided, or even attacked. Moreover, most users are Asian.
But the community that advocates for every person wearing a mask might have a point, experts are now questioning WHO's official advice.
Cases are not tracked
First, there is some evidence that emerges that there are more "untraceable virus carriers", or healthy people with viruses that show little or no symptoms, than experts have predicted.
In China, it is estimated that one third of all positive cases have no symptoms, according to Chinese government data reported by the South China Morning Post.
On the Diamond Princess cruise ship that docked in Yokohama, about half of the more than 600 positive cases were found in those without symptoms.
Similar asymptomatic cases have also been reported in Iceland, which claims the country tested its citizens in greater proportions than any other country.
The prevailing belief is that because these people have no symptoms, they are not very contagious.
But some people question this now. Maybe if everyone wears a mask then the person who secretly carries the virus won't turn into a spreader?
A case study recently published in China found that "cases of unreported infections", or those that have mild or asymptomatic symptoms, are highly contagious and can cause nearly 80% of positive virus cases.
This is only one study, and future research will no doubt add nuance to the overall picture.
Face masks may be a product of recent history, experience with contagion and cultural norms.
But as the scale of the pandemic increases, along with evidence and research, our behavior may change.
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