I just spoke with a family member from Xinjiang, China.

[Beakybird]

She told me that her region was not badly affected by the virus, and she told me that everything is open. What she told me next really struck me. She told me that within a few days of learning about the virus, everyone covered and still covers their face. They didn't have to be told to wear the mask by the government. They wore masks and still wear masks to preserve their health and out of courtesy to others. Wow.

[onecaliberal]

1. The masks are the ticket. They're way more important for containment than is reported here.

[live love laugh]

2. Simple courtesy. Sad America no longer has that. No it's tragic and a precursor to horror. nt

[GulfCoast66]

21. Actually we never did. There were protests against the masks in 1918.

Americans have never been very good about collective action. Too many have never see those who look different from them as true fellow countrymen.

Even perhaps the most egalitarian act ever, Social Security did not have the votes to pass unless domestic help and farm workers were excluded. At the time that meant people of color.

[Salviati]

3. Not surprising that it's different here...

'... when one of the major parties is philosophically based on the "virtues of selfishness" and bases its entire electoral strategy on the maximization of ignorance.

[triron]

4. you got that right.

[Ferrets are Cool]

12. Spot on. nt

[2naSalit]

13. Yup.

[central scrutinizer]

5. Spoke with a friend in Thailand yesterday

Everything is open. No community transmission detected for many days. Vietnam is another success story. Masks!

[MLAA]

6. I lived in Shanghai for 4 years.

A very good Chinese friend I made there told me and and my husband not to leave our house without a mask. He, too, said everyone is still wearing them.

[msongs]

7. many ppl in japan wear masks under everyday normal conditions nt

[meadowlander]

20. +1. When I lived in China it was normal to see people wearing them for the common cold/flu.

I don't think I ever took a train, subway or bus trip where there weren't at least a handful of people wearing masks.

There's just a different level of common understanding that when you're sick or potentially sick and have to be in public you take measures to ensure you minimise the spread of germs.

[Heartstrings]

24. Yes they do....

[Beakybird]

8. The Republicans are shooting themselves in the foot.

Some of these imbeciles finally get it, but a lot don't. They are bringing down their fortunes and the country's fortunes to ashes over their refusal to wear a mask.

[Trumpocalypse]

9. In America it's all about me

not about courtesy to others.

[roamer65]

19. That's what I hate most about this country.

The outright childish selfishness labeled as “rugged individualism”. This country is a country of overgrown children. Dump is a mirror of our problem.

[diva77]

25. I also think it's ignorance -- lots of people don't understand that you wear a mask to

protect others. The lack of outreach to educate people is horrifying.

[Victor_c3]

10. Yup, that's how a polite society is supposed to work

I wear a mask (and pants) so as to both protect those around me and out of general politeness. Just as I’m sure most people would prefer that I don’t rub my genitals against them in public places and ejaculate my potential poisonous seed on them, I cover my face in public and my coughs.

For a functional society, the individual sometimes needs to consider those around them and inconvenience themselves. In my case, I wear pants.

I’m other words, the anti-maskers need to stop being a bunch of fucking assholes!

[Cirque du So-What]

11. Rugged individualists can't be expected to inconvenience themselves by wearing masks

This selfish streak runs deep in our society and will contribute to its ultimate demise. Modem humans evolved altruistic tendencies along with civilization, and turning our backs on our better nature could spell the end.

[kimbutgar]

14. About 2 months ago a friend who moved back to China said that they always wear masks

No one challenges it.

The mask is Mandatory attire when leaving home like putting on the seat belt in my car.

[BigmanPigman]

15. Why have I seen people in Japan and other Asian

countries wearing masks for at least 20 years? I was told by people who travel there that it is to protect yourself as well as others from illnesses. Tony Bourdain said the same thing on his travel shows. Why don't other countries practice the same behavior? Is it a "vanity" issue? Is it a "I don't have to do anything/rebellious attitude" issue? What is the problem with wearing a mask in certain countries?

[Leith]

17. I lived in Japan in the early 1980s

and it was often done back then.

It is a serious flaw in the culture of the US to resist it. It makes deniers look like toddlers having tantrums.

[AnyFunctioningAdult]

26. They went through the SARS outbreak in 2003

Everyone started wearing them during that. I went to Southeast Asia in early 2004 and most people were still wearing them. A large amount of people there wear them there because of air quality too.

All they had to do was say this new thing was related to SARS and everyone put their masks back on.

[IronLionZion]

16. Masks are widespread in Asia for several reasons

pollution, prevention of catching viruses, prevention of spreading viruses, robbery, jk

America had a stupid manufactured mask shortage in the beginning of this pandemic. So our super genius experts lied to stop people from buying up masks because they needed it for health care workers. Then there are still mask shortages so people stitched their own with cloth or used scarves or whatever was available. Meanwhile the dumbest and most paranoid Americans can't handle this level of basic rational thinking and decided to fight against it as if it's oppressing their freedoms.

[roamer65]

18. We need to deal with no maskers like how we clamped down on drunk driving.

Harsh fines and jail time for repeat offenders.

[Pacifist Patriot]

22. Not surprising. Collectivist cultures do way better at times like this than individualist ones do.

[Beakybird]

23. Well put.

[Sloumeau]

27. Here's what we need to remember:

When COVID-19 first hit, people started to buy masks. Then, the U.S. Surgeon General, started telling the general public *NOT* to buy masks because then there would not be enough for the doctors and nurses. So, hardly anyone bought masks, and there still was not enough for doctors and nurses. Today, people are being told to wear cloth masks and not the N95 masks which give better protection. Why? This is because we are still not sure if there would be enough N95 masks for doctors and nurses if everyone went out and bought the N95 masks.

What should have happened:

The moment that the U.S. Government, including the Surgeon General, realized that there were so few masks that they were telling people not to buy masks, the government should have swung into action to make sure that tons of masks were being manufactured--especially N95 masks--but all kinds at least until there were as many N95 masks as needed. The countries that did the best against COVID all started wearing lots of masks right from the beginning. None of them had the leading health authority in the country telling them not to wear masks.

What is happening now:

The U.S. Government's attitude now seems to be "let people get used to the dying" instead of actually working to make sure that there are plenty of masks, including high-quality masks for everyone. There is no national plan to make sure that hospitals have the PPE gear that they need. There is no national plan to make sure that hospitals have enough ventilators. There is no national plan to make sure that all hospitals have the beds that they need. There is no national contact tracing plan. It is freaking insane.