The Pandemic Is Over—So Why Are You Still Wearing a Mask When You Go Out?

As our government lifted the pandemic-era mask mandate, many people no longer want to wear masks when going out for a walk or shopping, or even when commuting to work or school.

I have even seen a Facebook friend publicly questioning, in a broad-brush way, why some people still wear masks when going out—I wanted to ask him what benefit he was receiving, and to share a bit with me.

First, look at the national severe influenza complication statistics chart below. From the number of confirmed cases in the red block, you can see that there was a clear upward trend starting at the beginning of the year, around the same time as the mask mandate was lifted, which inevitably makes one suspect a possible correlation (but only a possibility, because the proportion of severe respiratory infections has a downward trend).

National Severe Influenza Complications in the Republic of China - Trend Chart of Domestic and Imported Cases

This is also what I discovered only after I started wearing a mask when going out: this thin piece that you can barely feel is actually able to bring us quite a few benefits.

First, wearing a mask when near crowds can reduce the chance of catching a common cold.

During the pandemic, most people complied with mask-wearing rules, which also led to a decline in the transmission rate of infectious diseases such as colds.

In fact, masks can block tiny droplets in the air, reducing the opportunities for various viruses and bacteria to spread, thereby lowering the risk of infection from related diseases.

In addition, wearing a mask also helps reduce allergic reactions.

For some patients with allergic diseases, allergens such as pollen and dust mites in the air may trigger discomfort and allergic symptoms. Wearing a mask can filter out tiny particles in the air, reducing the inhalation of these allergens and thereby alleviating allergic reactions.

Furthermore, just because you don’t wear a mask doesn’t mean sick people will wear one.

One experience that left a deep impression on me was before the pandemic, when I was taking a plane to travel to Japan, I personally saw two rather attractive young women who also boarded the same flight.

One of them boarded wearing a mask, while the other friend walking behind her had a cold, a runny nose, and kept coughing. The key point is that she wasn’t wearing a mask, but clearly even her friend was afraid. That trip had me on edge the whole way, listening to the coughing from not far away, curious about what they were thinking.

Although the government has now thrown up its hands and decided that the COVID-19 pandemic can be lifted, and the widespread vaccination and past community epidemic prevention measures have brought us a sense of reassurance, making us seem no longer afraid of the virus, we still cannot ignore the reality that the virus does indeed still exist around us.

Lifting pandemic restrictions does not mean we can relax our protection of ourselves and others. Wearing a mask is a simple and effective preventive measure that helps protect us from viruses and bacteria while also taking others’ health into account.

Of course, you can still make your own choice based on the situation and your own comfort, but I believe that with a caring and responsible attitude, continuing to wear a mask is an important part of jointly maintaining health and safety.

Let us remember that lifting pandemic restrictions is only a milestone; we still need to remain vigilant and take appropriate protective measures to ensure the safety of ourselves and our community.