The case for normalizing masks post-pandemic

For example, even once the pandemic is mostly contained, there will likely be sporadic outbreaks of Covid-19 for years to come, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates or when novel variants appear. In those cases, we should be willing to once again temporarily mask up, to keep our community safe until the outbreak can be tamped down. There will also always be groups of people who are not fully protected from Covid-19, even after being vaccinated. We already have studies showing that people who are immunocompromised (like transplant patients) do not develop full immunity. Those folks should be encouraged and supported in masking in public. By maintaining masking in crowded places for the rest of us — on public transportation, in malls, or in other indoor locations — we destigmatize protecting the vulnerable. Finally, I have been struck by the impact of universal masking on other respiratory diseases.