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"
More from Leaders
Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidential term expires on May 20th
What does that mean for his country?
Canada’s law to help news outlets is harming them instead
Funding journalism with cash from big tech has become a fiasco
Xi Jinping is subtler than Vladimir Putin—yet equally disruptive
How to deal with Chinese actions that lie between war and peace