U.S. COVID cases are rising once again — and, as ever, Americans are arguing about masks.
It’s a pattern as enduring as the pandemic itself. Infections go up. So do the masks. And the same reflexive Twitter wars — do they actually slow the spread? Should they really be required? — follow right on cue, with the usual combatants retreating to their predictably polarized and politicized corners.
But what if the Great American Mask-Off is a waste of time at this point in the pandemic? Even worse, what if it’s a distraction? What if we’re fighting over one relatively inconsequential factor when we could be focusing on far more helpful fixes