unmask america

It's enough. It's time to stop using skins, or at the very least remove skinning mandates in all environments.

This is especially urgent for children in schools and universities, who suffer from the effects of masks for long hours each day despite having a very low risk of death or serious illness from Covid.

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We have a responsibility, once and for all, to reject the ridiculous and ever-changing narratives that support masks as effective deterrents to the spread of Covid infections.

The story changed from “masks don't work”, to “masks can work”, to “masks work and you should wear one”. Now the narrative changes again: "cloth masks don't work, so you need to wear one surgical or 'well-fitting' mask," or even wear two!

Note that even as Covid evolves into a less dangerous omicron variant, we are supposed to raise the level of hysteria by wearing masks intended for surgeons who maintain a sterile environment over open wounds. We are told by the same political, medical and media figures who have been "often wrong but never in doubt" about everything related to Covid in the last two long years. And they spoke with as much certainty then as now.

Perversely, the Biden administration recently ordered the distribution of 400 million N95 surgical masks across the country. Given that N95 masks are considered disposable, and are meant to be worn for perhaps 40 hours at most, it's unclear what will happen in a week or two when 330 million Americans go without their "free" personal protective equipment.

The UK has sensibly ended its mask-wearing mandates, both in public places (offices and other workplaces, bars, restaurants, sporting events, theaters) and, thankfully, in schools. A young college student broke down in tears at the news, lamenting how inhumane her experience had been in the past two years. As the British health secretary, Savid Javid, stated, "we must learn to live with covid in the same way we live with the flu."

Amen.

The arguments against masks are simple.

Even the CDC is now admitting what Dr. Anthony Fauci told the world in February 2020: Cloth masks don't work and there's no reason to wear them:

CNN's dubious medical expert Dr. Lena Wen, once a huge fan of masks, now tells us that cloth masks are "little more than facial decorations." And the heroic skeptic Dr. Jay Bhattacharya cites a Danish and a Bangladeshi study showing that cloth masks are ineffective in preventing cholera.

Are we really willing to wear tight and uncomfortable surgical masks all day to avoid the omicron?

The human lungs and our respiratory system are designed to inhale nitrogen and oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is literally a waste product that is removed from the blood through our lungs. Masks may not trap harmful levels of carbon dioxide against our noses and mouths, but they certainly get dirty very quickly unless they are constantly changed. In addition, they promote mouth breathing, which can lead to “mask mouth” symptoms such as acne, bad breath, sensitive gums, and lip irritation.

Why would we interfere with natural breathing unless we felt sick, had symptoms, and were worried about infecting others? And in that case, why not stay home?

Human beings communicate verbally and non-verbally, and masks prevent both ways. Masks muffle and distort our words. And our expressions are important signals to everyone around us; Without these signals, communication and understanding suffer. Babies and young children can be the most affected, as a lack of facial engagement with parents and loved ones impedes the human connections and bonds that are formed during childhood.

Perhaps most disturbing, however, are the symbolic effects that occur when millions of Americans obediently wear masks based on flimsy evidence provided by very unimpressive people.

The absence of a face, the lack of individual identity, personality and appearance, is inherently dehumanizing and dystopian. Like prison or military uniforms, they reduce our personal characteristics. The masks are muzzles, symbols of routine acceptance of an ugly new normal that no one asked for or voted for.

Risk is pervasive and highly subjective (for example, covid risk varies greatly with age and comorbidities). No one has the right to impose interventions such as masks on others, just as no one has the right to a hypothetical germ-free landscape. Exhalation is not aggression, unless you are trying to make others sick on purpose. It could be said that people who wear masks give off slightly less Covid virus particles than those who do not wear them, but this does not justify the banning of the latter from public life. As always, the overwhelming burden of justification for any intervention—including mask mandates—must rest with those who propose it, not those who oppose it.

In short, Americans are not children. Trade-offs are part of every policy, whether government officials admit it or not. We know how to coexist with the flu, just as we live with countless bacteria and viruses in our environment. In the same way, we will coexist with the Covid. The goal is not to eliminate germs, and zero covid is absurd. A healthy immune system, built through diet, exercise, and sunlight, will always be the best front-line defense against contagious diseases. But diet, exercise and sunlight cannot be outsourced by health officials or mandated by politicians.

What slight benefits masks may bring is a matter for individuals to decide for themselves. People who feel sick with symptoms should stay home. We can all wash our hands frequently and thoroughly. For the rest, it is time for Americans to assert themselves in the face of the dubious claims and non-existent legality of the government's Covid measures.

It's time to return to normal life, and that starts with visible human faces.

Jeff Deist is president of the Mises Institute, where he is a writer, public speaker, and advocate for property, markets, and civil society.