Back in March 2020, this editorial board said its members would be wearing masks, even though that ran counter to much of the medical advice at the time.
Now, during the winter COVID-19 spike, we think it is time for more people to wear masks again in crowded public places, even though there is generally no requirement to do so. Wearing a mask might impede conversation with others, which is one reason people forgo them. But a lot of the time when we are in public places, such as on the bus or at the grocery store, we are alone, so masks really aren’t much of a problem. And masks reduce the risk of viral transmission from the so-called “tripledemic” of COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
