, Columnist
Masks Work. Mask Mandates Don’t.
There’s a gap between our scientific knowledge and the policy measures that would take advantage of it — and it’s the job of politicians to close that gap.
Los Angeles, July 20, 2020.
Photographer: CHRIS DELMAS/AFPThis article is for subscribers only.
So masks don’t work after all? That’s the conclusion many conservatives took from a comprehensive analysis of the use of masks to prevent the spread of respiratory infections such as Covid-19 — and it’s led, naturally enough, to a lot of football-spiking and I-told-you-so’s.
Delve into the details of the study, however, and it’s clear that the conclusion is better phrased this way: Masks work, but mask mandates don’t. And while conservatives may be unwilling to acknowledge the first point, liberals are reluctant to admit the second.