Leaders | Face it

The case for mandatory masks

In places where covid-19 is still rife, governments should require people to wear face coverings in crowded public spaces

Editor’s note: Some of our covid-19 coverage is free for readers of The Economist Today, our daily newsletter. For more stories and our pandemic tracker, see our coronavirus hub

THE PANDEMIC has not been kind to fashionistas. Shops are closed and online purchases can be displayed only through the dismal prism of Zoom. Yet there is a chink of light in this dark sartorial night, for it offers the opportunity for self-expression through this season’s latest must-have item: the face mask.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "Face it"

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From the May 30th 2020 edition

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