Mask-wearing in China is a bit more complicated than ppl here see it. It's not just about science. It's abt how different stakeholders of a society respond to a developing epidemic. By learning those lessons, US could better prepare the upcoming outbreak 1/
First, WHO's guide: u don't need to wear masks unless ur taking care of COVID-19 patients. CDC also has similar advice.
who.int/emergencies/di… /2
who.int/emergencies/di… /2
But why are the majority of ppl in China/Asia wear masks? In a nutshell, aside from self-protection, wearing masks is the most ostensible way to tell others "I know and care about this outbreak", especially when it was unclear how infectious the disease is (it still isn't) /3
Why? Because all the debates happening in the US already happened in China. "nCoV is just like flu", check. "it's not that deadly", check. "it's blown out of proportion," check. But the virus has been rapidly spreading due to transparency problems /4
On top of the suspicion, Wang Guangfa, one of the early experts who came out to say the virus is totally containable, contracted nCoV himself. He later recalled, he was in full gear but he didn't wear goggles. After the statement, even goggles in Beijing sold out /5
As the epidemic continues to expand across cities and borders, another genre of stories breaks out: ppl who insist on being healthy turned out to be sick. Some even fled from quarantine. Of course, they were publicly shamed and attacked /6 
In response to ppl's early dismissive attitude, and in an environment where anyone who doesn't care abt hygiene could be the weakest link that ruins everybody, the public quickly begins to view mask-wearing as a gesture of actively combating the virus /7
Some high-level Hubei officials didn't wear masks, and some wore it incorrectly. The news conference has turned into countless memes, and officials not wearing masks became a sign of irresponsibility. Similar controversies happened in HK too /8
It's important to acknowledge the visible signals from wearing masks played a HUGE role in increasing public awareness in China. The culture of wearing masks gives ppl a share of personal responsibility and stake in this outbreak /9
It's equally important to discuss the overcorrection, which introduced a variety of problems. Panic buying, price gouging, shortage of medical supplies to name a few. More importantly, in many places masks became a ticket to freedom /10
In big cities surveilled by China's new grid-style social management system, ppl w/ masks can encounter a hard time just to go out in public. Many incidents of homeless/poor ppl being attacked for not wearing masks, by gov staff or other ppl /11
For ppl like me who saw the outbreak unfolded, the issue really isn't abt wearing masks or not. It's about social trust: Can u trust the government's data? Can u trust strangers' hygiene and attitudes towards the outbreak? Can the society build solidarity against the virus? /12
Mask is a double-edged symbol, and we might be able to live without it (caution: nCoV has a 14-day incubation period. It's infectious even there's no symptom). But do we have any alternatives to build such social trust? /13
I honestly don't see any, yet. And we have an administration out there actively calling the outbreak a hoax, a loose plan to pray the disease away, a broken medical system that still doesn't cover the most vulnerable ppl, and rampant racism that literally ATTACK ppl in masks /14
Btw, ppl tell me in Western countries wearing masks is a sign of sickness--it is exactly the same in Mainland China until a month ago. The public perception turned 180 in just a few weeks.
Thanks for hearing my rant. Y'all stay safe and healthy <3 /End
*ppl without masks
*why do
