Masking in America

In North Carolina, the legislature would like to arrest me because I wear a mask whenever I’m out of my house. I am not making this up!

Politically, in NC, this is a MAGA reaction to refusing to believe the science that Covid still exists, and is still spreading, putting people in the hospital, and causing some to die. Although for different reasons, as I’ll get to, it’s not just NC.

Anti-mask legislation in NC dates back to the 1950’s and was enacted because of the Klan, and their propensity for wearing hoods. Source. In 2020, masks for medical reasons were excluded from the law because of Covid. To wit:

Under Article 4A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes, Prohibited Secret Societies and Activities, it is generally a crime for an individual to wear a mask in public. However, under G.S. 14-12.11(a)(6), an individual can wear a mask in public for the physical health or safety of the wearer or others. If an individual wears a mask in public for health or safety reasons, a law enforcement officer can require the individual to remove the mask during traffic stops and criminal investigations when the officer has reasonable suspicion or probable cause.

Section 1 of the new bill would repeal G.S. 14-12.11(a)(6), and individuals would no longer be able to wear masks in public for health or safety reasons.

In NY, Governor Hochul is looking for legislation to preclude masks on the NYC subway system in response to crime, specifically antisemitism-related crimes. Again, anti-mask legislation in the state is old, and in this case dates back to the 1800’s, and was repealed in 2020.

From a political perspective, it’s an interesting conundrum. As a society, we want to be able to catch criminals, we have scads of cameras in public areas, and masks decrease the ability to identify suspects. And let’s be honest, the masks used by the criminals can certainly be “medical” masks. On the other hand, there is a group of people who need to mask due to transplants, cancer and other conditions that create immunocompromise.

So where is the middle ground to protect both society in general, and the immunocompromised? What kind of legislation can be enacted to solve both problems?

I wear a mask because I am immunocompromised. I need to protect myself from not just COVID, but every other circulating disease because my body lacks the ability to fight off most anything.

I’m lucky: I live in a place where no one cares if I wear a mask. No one has ever said anything nasty to me, nor tried to physically remove my mask. In fact, strangers often endeavor to be helpful. For example, at the supermarket the other day, I needed help from a store worker to find something, she was deaf and needed to lip read. A kind stranger translated between us. Unasked, she just jumped right in. She waited until I had my spice container in hand, and then, pointing to my shirt, which says “I did not survive Stage 4 cancer to die of COVID” asked when my last treatment was. I told her, and she said she was 10 years post-treatment.

In red America, it’s incredibly dangerous to be immunocompromised. I interact with other cancer patients around the country, and some have had their masks forcibly removed. Others have been yelled at and followed around, as if they are criminals. They have entered stores, and in a few cases, health care facilities, and been told that to be there, they must remove their mask.

But back to the political ramifications. While crime is certainly decreasing, it still exists. We don’t want current criminals to hide their faces any more than decent people years ago wanted the Klan members to be in hoods. And from that perspective, disallowing masks is a good idea. Sadly, it’s hard to get a medical carve-out for most people, as they look like everybody else. Certainly, people like me have implanted ports that can be seen on our chests, but most do not. I wonder if it would be possible to carry cards or have the information on a medical alert bracelet.

As a world emerging from a pandemic, we no longer take Covid seriously. Nor do we take other potential disease-causing epidemics seriously. Paris, for example, is working hard to eradicate mosquitoes prior to the Olympics due to the possibility of a super spreader event caused by Dengue. Masks wouldn’t help.

Looking for answers: if you have any ideas, please put them in the comments.