Editorial: As mask mandates lift, we should respect others’ decisions
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A federal judge in Florida issued a ruling against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask mandate early in the day. By evening, the Transportation Security Administration was announcing it no longer would enforce the requirement.
That drops one of the final demands of the federal government, leaving any remaining limits in the hands of local authorities.
Philadelphia, for example, recently has reinstituted its mask mandate as cases are on the rise there. However, SEPTA, the regional public transportation authority that operates area buses and trains, announced late Monday that it would not require masks for riders or employees.
That may sum up the issue perfectly going forward. Where we could blame the government for confusion before, without firm rules, now the decisions are a lot closer to home.
That’s not a bad thing. It is exactly what a lot of people have wanted all along. If Philadelphia is the hotbed of new outbreaks in Pennsylvania, let Philadelphia decide how to handle that rather than making people on the other side of the state contend with it as well.
Now it is up to all of us to accept how other people are deciding to handle things.
Take planes. Many people will celebrate the idea that a mask is no longer required on a flight from Pittsburgh International Airport to Atlanta and from there to Los Angeles or Orlando or Dallas. That’s a lot of time in the air and just one more thing to endure on a flight with cramped legs and shared armrests.
But some people will still want to wear them. Getting sick after a flight has always been fairly common. Pack that many people in a metal tube breathing the same air, and it’s not surprising. But many people have reported picking up fewer colds and other bugs during the pandemic because of precautions including masks.
While most mask mandates in Southwestern Pennsylvania have been lifted for quite a while, you still can see some people at the grocery store or an office building wearing them. It’s important to realize that just because you aren’t required to wear one anymore doesn’t mean there aren’t people who should or may choose to wear them. That has to be respected.
“Each person has a unique risk tolerance and risk factors for severe disease. It is not one size fits all,” said infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja.
This is especially important as covid-19 becomes endemic rather than disappearing. Just like the flu epidemic of 1918 became seasonal, covid-19 is set to become a recurring but milder threat akin to its close, less serious cousin, the common cold.
Some people may adopt the regular use of masks the way people in Asian countries have. In Japan and China, they are used not only to limit epidemic exposures like those from bird flu or SARS but also from more casual illnesses as well as physical effects of pollution or allergens.
And that is fine. Once the mandates are lifted, it’s up to everyone to make their own choices. It’s also up to all of us to let people make those choices without interference.