Re: Corona Virus: is it the beginning of the end?
A valid question, and the answer I have right now is that I don't know.
It's important to take those two off the table though...or, at the very, very least, to heavily qualify their inclusion in the discussion. Neither of them is as communicable as Covid-19, which means that just because we didn't institute mask-wearing for one or both, that doesn't mean we shouldn't for Covid-19. On the flip side, I believe that while both are less communicable, both are more lethal to humans.
Frankly, I do hope that this motivates us to find some sort of treatments which can better handle these diseases. Otherwise, as unpleasant as it is, mask-wearing in enclosed public spaces may become the new norm for years to come. And yeah, that'll suck, but just think of it like this. You don't object to wearing shoes even though they make your feet sweat. You don't object to wearing a shirt even though sometimes they're tight or can itch. You generally don't object to office-culture dress codes even though they contribute to people being unwell (I'll explain this below). These are all technically things that have been forced on us over the years which are not strictly necessary for the maintenance of business. Why can't I walk into a grocery store in bare feet? Why can't I walk into a MacDonald's without a shirt? Why can I be fired from a law firm for not wearing a tie? It's all very ridiculous, but we've normalized these nonsensical dress regulations. I feel certain that, if you think about it, you'll realize that if it means keeping people safe, we can even normalize the wearing of masks in enclosed spaces with other people to keep ourselves from getting sick. Hell, as time goes by, better masks will even become available (more comfortable, better viral blocking, etc), and in a truly long-term scenario, we may evolve (as we've been doing for millions of years already) to deal with it. I don't think wearing a mask for twelve hours a day, seven days a week, or all the time from morning to night even in your own home, is ever going to happen...but in the workplace? In public? Yeah, probably, at least for awhile. Just think of it as another piece of the dress code. You deal with several nonsensical bits of dress code already; this is just one more, and at least this one has a valid reason.
Now, regarding office dress code contributing to unwellness:
A lot of men in office jobs are required to wear suits. Suits are fine in theory, but in the winter when your heating is on, men tend to sweat too much while wearing suits, which causes a problem. In the summer, a man in a suit may be comfy in the office, but when he steps outside, he gets walloped by heat and begins to sweat again. Women have it even worse. A lot of women's dress attire is not known for being particularly warm, so women freeze going to and from work in the winter, and free -at work in the summer when air conditioning is turned up. There's a reason why a lot of receptionists and other female office workers bring a sweater to work and leave it there. Rapid temperature changes of this sort, or prolonged heat or cold, are not good for the body, and contribute to a lot of malaise and illness. And never mind the straight-up sickness for a sec; it's fucking uncomfortable. Why aren't we protesting office dress codes with as much vehemence as we're protesting wearing a little piece of fabric over our mouth and nose when in enclosed indoor spaces with other people? Good grief.
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