Key Takeaways
Face masks have saved thousands of lives over the past year and a half.
Will masks finally come off in 2022?
But unfortunately, the pandemic is far from over.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
As we head into another COVID-19 surge this winter, masks may be as important as ever.
Why Are Mask Recommendations Always Changing?
Some eliminated mask orders around spring when the CDC eased their mask recommendations for fully vaccinated people.
Masks remain one of the strongest tools we have for curbing COVID-19.
But these ambiguous policies have sent a confusing message about their effectiveness.
This has been an unfortunate consequence of the evolution of the pandemic.
Mask recommendations only changed when there was a clear circumstantial need for it.
(Currently, most of the U.S. is classified as a place of high transmission.)
It is an expected and natural response to the prolonged public health crisis.
We have low trust and a lower sense of responsibility for the social good, Jankowiak said.
Several experts have already cited Americans individualistic culture as a hindrance to widespread mask-wearing.
What This Means For You
Masks will be a part of life for the foreseeable future.
N95 and surgical masks are your best options for protection.
Doubling up with a surgical mask and a cloth one can offer you additional protection as well.
Will We Have to Wear Masks Forever?
We have to see how were going to continue to respond to this pandemic, Shenoi said.
This pandemic is far from over.
No country can get out of it alone.
But how about after COVID-19 has faded from view?
It is possible that the habit of mask-wearing will take hold in the U.S, Shenoi said.
Overall, the end to mask-wearing might not be in sight just yet.
And the jury is still out on how and when this pandemic will end.
These strategies not only protect you but your community as well.
I hope were not going to have to wear masks forever, Shenoi said.
For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID Data Tracker.
World Health Organization.Pandemic fatigue: reinvigorating the public to prevent COVID-19.
VOA News.Not Just Coronavirus: Asians Have Worn Face Masks for Decades.
2021;118.23:e2021793118.
doi:10.1073/pnas.2021793118
The Brookings Institution.American individualism is an obstacle to wider mask wearing in the US.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.CDC COVID Data Tracker.
Rubin R.Influenzas Unprecedented Low Profile During COVID-19 Pandemic Leaves Experts Wondering What This Flu Season Has in Store.JAMA.
2021;326(10):899-900. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.14131
