We are witnessing the Great Unmasking, with masks mandates falling faster, even, than plummeting Omicron caseloads. Dozens of states are removing the power to mandate from public health agencies and governors. Forcing people to do something is an extreme measure; opposition to mask, vaccination, and social distancing mandates is understandable. When are mandates justified?
Public health mandates have three distinct roles: increasing availability of accurate information; protecting people from each other; and establishing collective action that benefits society in ways individual actions cannot. Mandates reflect, and, ideally, strengthen understanding that we are connected: individuals affect and are affected by the actions of others.
Public attitudes toward mandates have shifted as understanding of how behavior can harm others has increased — for example, with laws against drunk driving or establishing smoke-free public places. These changes did not require radical changes to society but were a natural evolution as we better understood these threats and the interventions to counter them.
Read more at CNN.