Here's What is Wrong with the New Mask Mandate

Vaccination is a personal, private, sometimes-moral/religious decision that each person has a right to make for him or herself; we should also have the right to keep these decisions private— without displaying (via mask or no mask) our medical status of vaccination to the world at-large. President Biden’s latest mask mandate rips the right to medical confidentiality out of the hands of every single US citizen. While it is not a direct violation of HIPPA laws, it sure feels as if the new policy is dangerously close to crossing that line.

Masks are now so much more than a protective barrier against the spreading of germs. They are a political symbol. A Scarlett A for those who choose not to get vaccinated or a symbol of superior moral pride (I care about the safety of others more than the un-masked) for those who choose to wear them after vaccination. Walking into a store or the gym or a local restaurant is now met with judgement from strangers based on your decision to wear or not wear a mask; or your decision to vaccinate or not vaccinate. It is a visual piece of concrete evidence as to what should be a very personal and private decision. This creates an even greater political and moral divide in a country that simply cannot afford it. In addition, brands everywhere are rewarding (read bribing) the vaccinated with free drinks, raffles for a year of free flights and other grandiose prizes, free donuts and entries into lottery drawings up to a million dollars in a variety of states. The message is loud and clear: vaccinated is better than not-vaccinated. I can’t help but wonder if this is the exact message President Biden and the CDC intended to make with this new mandate.

The CDC has completely failed to address the large population of people who have had COVID and thus have antibodies against the virus. These antibodies are said to protect an individual for at least 90 days; some studies show that they last for up to 8 months. Without granting these people the right to safely proceed with life sans-mask, the CDC and President Biden are exhibiting a direct bias against the non-vaccinated. It is unacceptable. And it is proof that this is not simply about the spread of COVID, but also about the government’s desire to control or bribe its citizens into getting vaccinated. It is as if they are using the mask as a source of negative reinforcement. Joe Biden’s recent tweet, “The rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do," reads as a dictator's ultimatum and insinuates that mask-wearing is indeed a punishment.

This is a moral war against American’s citizens and it is one we need to take a stand against immediately. Moral, religious and medical decisions, from what medications we take to what vaccinations we receive or choose not to receive, need to be protected, private decisions for every American citizen. If they are not, we are no longer free and we are opening the door to constant political debate in every grocery store, workplace, gym, restaurant that we enter. There should be no visual evidence (wearing a mask) that announces our vaccination status to everyone whom we meet on any given day. The answer to this moral debate is simple: masks should be required for all or none.