Just as speeding and drinking and driving are dangerous, not wearing a mask during a pandemic is similarly reckless – it puts your and others’ lives at risk, Jha said.
As government-issued mask mandates become more common, experts told USA TODAY those rules – along with fines, free masks and education – could help shape the behavior of a nation, similar to how traffic enforcement discourages bad driving.
Here’s a look at how mask rules are being enforced and what experts said will work best in changing the behavior of people skeptical of masks.
What are the rules about masks?
Like many government actions relating to the coronavirus, states have unveiled a patchwork of rules governing masks. About half of states mandate masks in public.
Enforcement of those rules is uneven. Some local governments, including in West Hollywood, California and Pensacola, Florida, plan to use fines to enforce the regulations. Other law enforcement agencies publicly declined to enforce the laws.
Some of the most consistent, nationwide enforcement comes from businesses, which have the right to deny service to customers who are not wearing a mask.