This interview has been condensed for clarity.
Thrasher:My reaction was extreme disappointment and anger.
Seeing many of the reactions on social media that were very celebratory was disappointing.
Not because its pleasant to wear masksI dont enjoy it myself, a lot of people dont enjoy it.
But seeing the glee and not thinking about who this would affect in general was really sad.
When the ruling came down, the airlines were ready to go.
CS Muncy
Within a couple of hours, all the major airlines had done away with masks.
They just gave up.
Verywell: The name of your upcoming book is The Viral Underclass.
Can you explain what this term means, especially in the context of COVID-19?
When the COVID pandemic broke out in the beginning of 2020, the same map was emerging for COVID.
I see the mask mandate in that context as well.
It was quite overlooked in the ruling about airlines that this affects mass transit as well.
Amtrak stopped doing it.
The CTA in Chicagowhere I livejust got rid of it.
This puts people who are in face-to-face service jobs at quite a higher level of danger.
Verywell: How should we think about masks at this stage of the pandemic?
Thrasher:Masks were never a panacea.
They dont fix everything, but they were one tool that helped.
They also signified a willingness to help, which in itself is important.
COVID gave us a lot of lessons.
And what are the other benefits that could come from certain things, like masks?
They started wearing them during flu seasons.
Something similar could have happened here in the United Stateseven without a mandate.
Verywell: What is the best way to navigate decisions around masking during this confusing time?
I think similarly with COVID-19, people need to assume that theyre carrying it at all times.
But even if youre not feeling sick, you should assume that you could be carrying it right then.
Verywell: What is your perspective on returning to normal?
For the most part, people in the upper class are relatively well protected.
People can get vaccines and antiviral medications for COVID.
We did it for a year and a half and it did not break the country economically.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID Data Tracker.
