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| A man wearing a mask walks by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 17, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP) |
By Jane Han
SEATTLE ― Michelle Kwak wants to wear a mask, especially considering how badly COVID-19 is hitting her immediate suburb of Seattle. But she finds herself dealing with a significant ― to wear or not to wear ― struggle every time she ventures out of the house to the grocery store.
"I want to protect myself, but at the same time, I dread the odd stares I'd be getting should I wear a mask in public," said Kwak, who doesn't live far from the Seattle-area nursing home that has been at the center of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. and linked to at least 30 deaths so far.
Unlike the new social norm in Korea and much of Asia, masking up is still largely shunned here in the U.S.
Why?
"It's probably the difference in socio-cultural practice," said Sarah Cohen, a clinical psychologist. "American and other Western cultures put a large emphasis on showing your full face and making eye contact.
"We often see footage of Asia where streets are full of people who have their face half-way covered with masks. All those eyes without a full facial disclosure is certainly something that would make many people feel uneasy here."
But many Koreans and Asians living in the U.S. know and understand covering the nose and mouth can serve as an effective barrier against the spread of infections and viruses.
Despite this "faith" in masks, reality stops them from covering up.
"It sucks that I have to stress about wearing a mask during such uncertain and scary circumstances," said Lee Ji-eun, 28, who lives in San Francisco, one of the first areas in the country to go under lockdown similar to the measures taken in places like Italy and Spain. "All kinds of violent, racially motivated attacks popping up everywhere is making me even more nervous.''
Last month, an Asian woman wearing a mask was attacked in a New York City subway station for being "diseased." But earlier this month, another Asian woman was punched in the same city ― this time for not wearing a mask.
Other hate crimes are being reported across the country where attackers are often getting triggered by the simple act of the victim either wearing or not wearing a mask.
From the very early days of COVID-19, U.S. health authorities were quick to tell the public that face masks were not necessary for the public, that it was only for those who are sick, and that they were only needed to protect medical professionals.
This contradicting message confused ordinary people, but the part that seemed to stick for many was that it was largely for sick people.
"Wearing a mask, to me, seems to be the very basic and easiest method of protection against any virus, but that act itself is being so violently challenged here," says Jenna Choe, 41, a mother of three. "I don't know if the fast pace of the virus' spread is going to push Americans to mask up themselves, but I'm about to wear mine now regardless of the stares I'll be getting. My safety is more important."
As of Wednesday, there were more than 7,000 cases of COVID-19 and 97 related deaths in the U.S.
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