London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Why the world is still arguing over face masks, 20 months into the pandemic

Why the world is still arguing over face masks, 20 months into the pandemic

At the start of the pandemic, much of the Western world followed a similar playbook for tackling Covid-19.

Spikes in transmission were met with lockdowns; international travel was heavily restricted; and though domestic constraints frequently proved controversial, hygiene measures like social distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing were strongly encouraged -- if not legally mandated.

But those days are behind us. Pandemic management now differs widely from country to country -- with the face mask just one example of the world's increasingly fractured approach to Covid-19.

The science behind masks is fairly clear, and has only become more robust over the course of the pandemic. Studies have shown that masks significantly decrease the chances of transmitting coronavirus, and some types of masks can help prevent their wearers from catching the virus.

Yet debates still rage in multiple countries over their use, and some regions have recently removed mandates that people wear them in crowded spaces.

"Masks remain a symbol of a divided society -- between those who feel we have restricted too much and those who feel we have not intervened enough during the pandemic," Simon Williams, a senior lecturer on Covid-19 behaviors at Swansea University in Wales, told CNN.

With the prospect of another winter pandemic brewing, some countries are grappling with calls to return to mask use. But they face resistance from people fatigued by endless mixed messaging -- and many experts fear that in countries where rules have been relaxed, reimposing mandates could be complicated.

Different approaches


The first days of the pandemic saw early hesitance over the use of face masks from governments and the World Health Organization (WHO), amid fears that a rush for masks would leave frontline workers without enough protective equipment. But that as the world learned more about Covid-19, their use became commonplace by the middle of 2020.

"Masks help to filter out aerosol that is generated in our respiratory tract when we breathe or speak. (They) are most effective at filtering out larger aerosol particles and less effective at filtering out the smallest ones," said Bryan Bzdek, research fellow at the University of Bristol's Aerosol Research Centre, summarizing the scientific mechanism behind mask use.

"This is conceptually similar to driving a car when there are a lot of insects about -- the large ones tend to impact against the windshield whereas the small ones follow the air flow around the car," he said.


Outside parts of south-east Asia, where mask-wearing had become common after the SARS outbreak in 2002, few countries were used to covering their faces in public. But the unique shock of the Covid-19 outbreak meant behaviors quickly changed, experts say.

"Behavioral scientists and policymakers were quite surprised at how quickly people adopted masks once they were required," WIlliams said.

"The biggest development in mask perceptions over the pandemic has been an acceptance generally that they protect others as much, if not more, than the wearer," he added.

"The exact benefits in terms of cases prevented and lives saved are still being studied -- but even marginal gains are worthwhile when masks are relatively low-cost interventions, in that they are much easier for us than things like distancing or isolating."

But now, despite the body of scientific research into face masks only expanding, countries are heading in various directions.

In the US, President Joe Biden has made masks a key pillar of his Covid-19 response. His administration has followed guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on mask recommendations, imposing them on federal property and encouraging schools to use them.

But he's faced obstacles from several states. Most recently, Biden's Department of Education has become embroiled in a battle with Florida's Education Department after it decided to reduce funding for certain school districts for requiring people wear masks.

People wear masks on Broadway in New York City last month.


In Europe, mask mandates have become the norm even as several countries saw their Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations come under control, with stricter rules for unvaccinated people attending indoor spaces like restaurants and bars.

Spain, for instance, requires masks indoors when social distancing is not possible. France recently lifted its requirement to wear a mask outdoors, but the rule remains in place for enclosed spaces. And Italians are still required to cover their faces inside or on public transport (the outdoor mask mandate has now been lifted).

However, England, in spite of a stubborn surge in cases since the summer, no longer requires people to cover their faces anywhere -- with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaving it up to "personal choice."

The psychology behind masks


Experts say that whether most people will wear masks depends largely on the rules that are in place.

"The single biggest influence across all reason of face mask wearing appears to be the law," said Ivo Vlaev, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Warwick. He cited data from Imperial College London's Covid Behaviour Tracker, the largest rolling study of the societal impact of Covid-19 in the world.

A metro train in Italy, where mask wearing is required in most indoor spaces.


"(Mandating) a behavior helps send out the signal that it is important," Williams added. "Mask wearing is a behavior that is really influenced by social norms -- or peer pressure -- and so in a setting where masks are no longer mandated, this might influence others not to wear theirs."

"This is well illustrated by the inflection point in the UK when compulsory mask wearing was announced," Vlaev said, noting a quick pick-up in mask use last year, and an equally sudden drop since July when the rule was removed. According to the Office for National Statistics, nearly one in five Brits no longer say they wear a face covering outside their home, compared to just 4% in mid-June when they were still mandated.

But when the public takes their cues from the law, unclear messaging can be costly.

Williams said he was initially "surprised" by how quickly people stopped wearing masks in the UK in recent months. "It is really down to the mixed messages that many people feel government have been passing on," he added.

"Many countries in Europe have had a more consistent policy on masks and so this makes it become more of a habit over time."

Britain's lawmakers wore masks in the House of Commons last week, after the health secretary encouraged them to 'play their part' in curbing Covid-19 transmission. Few MPs were spotted in face coverings before last week.


Britain's government now faces a test as it attempts to encourage mask-wearing again, without the backing of a law, as cases rise in the run-up to winter.

The UK's health secretary, Sajid Javid, recently urged people to wear masks in certain situations to avoid future restrictions. But he was forced to admit it was "fair" of the public to wonder why they are now being encouraged to do so, when lawmakers had hours earlier appeared in the House of Commons without face coverings.

Experts doubt whether such guidance will carry as much weight as it did during previous stages of the pandemic.

"As the number of mask wearers falls off, the ability of authorities to enforce mask mandates falls away," said Robert Dingwall, a professor of social sciences at Nottingham Trent University.

It's that thinking that has led most EU countries to impose longer, and occasionally stricter, mask measures.

"People will have learned a new behavior -- wearing masks -- before 'unlearning it', and then having to re-learn it," Williams said. "This could prove challenging -- many people may have gotten used to life without masks."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×