Asian vs Western Mask Culture

Mask wearing was common in some Asian countries at certain times of the year even before this so it doesn't necessarily need to end at all. It all comes down to what level of hygeine you want to pursue.

YES! They did it in many asian countries before. When you feel under the weather you'd go to work/town in the mask not to spread.Also cold/flu cases are way down due to people masking up and cleaning hands.A lot of people complain about seatbelts being uncomfortable during driving, and yet its a law to wear them. Why?

Not in the USA. The government is still telling people masks don't do anything.

I have a hunch (based on family and friends in the US) that the US is the only country that the population did its best to not take the measures seriously. Here in the Netherlands masks aren’t required in stores, but people still wear them anyway. Same with Sweden and France when I visited there over the summer. (Though France does require it in stores IIRC).

Some countries do have a huge mask supply: in Japan for instance, wearing a mask if you have a cold / in the cold season / in the pollen allergy season / … is very normal, and almost everybody has a box or two of masks laying around the house. If masks are even remotely useful, telling people not to were the masks they already own (because you touch your face or something) is also pretty nasty.

HN has users from many countries, not just America. And general advice in my country is to wear mask around. Journals share step by step tutorials on how to make them. In some cities, public transport wont allow you in without one (you can improvise with scarf or something). Some stores and pharmacies wont allow you inside without one either. Politicians in photos and personalities wear masks and I think it is to normalize masks wearing. No one here wore mask one month ago, not it is most people

Does anyone know if they wear masks more in Japan? That might make a difference.

It's not the population that's in quarantine, it's just the few thousand affected people.There's another thing these countries have in common: Masks are worn by the majority of the people. They may work better than advertised.

> Walking around Tokyo this week I'm still seeing mask rates of >95%. Lockdown ended about 2 weeks ago.I currently live in Asia and have been for many years, I am from a western country. I think in Asia, face masks are just a fact of life, including pre-covid. There is/was an expectation that if you are sick, then you should probably wear a mask. Given that a lot of cities are crowded, many wear masks also not to get sick.As a westerner, I understand the negative connotatio

Masks are widely available! There isn't a single person without mask in the supermarkets. Not one. Social distancing is widely observed. I don't know where you get your information from but my experience is very different.