Masks make sense, especially in a pandemic, as the experience of Japan and many other nations suggests. Doctors say they prevent transmission of viruses amid community spread, especially from asymptomatic infected people, while keeping the wearer safe.
Goldman Sachs adds that wearing masks would also aid economic recovery, with a national mask mandate serving as a substitute for the lockdowns that could otherwise subtract as much as 5 percent from U.S. gross domestic product over the coming year.
The negative consequences of not wearing masks are plain for all to see. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, long very casual in his mask-wearing, almost died of COVID-19. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is infected with the coronavirus right now, as is former U.S. presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, who lost his race for election as governor of my home state, Utah, earlier this month, after he had to largely suspend campaigning after falling ill.