On Feb 26, when an Italian lawmaker (议员) went into the country's Lower Chamber with a mask to prevent the novel coronavirus, he was criticized (批评) by his colleagues for "causing panic (恐慌)". Articles from Western media carry headlines such as "No, you do not need face masks to prevent coronavirus." You might be surprised, as in China and other Asian countries, people have willingly put masks on during the outbreak.
Western thoughts about masks
In the West, people are taught to wear masks only when they get sick. Masks are seen as a tool to protect sick people and prevent the disease from spreading, so healthy people don't need to wear them. Therefore, during the novel coronavirus outbreak, overseas Chinese students said that they would be "stared at like a virus spreader" if they go out with a mask. According to a survey done by Global Times among some European and American people, wearing a mask in public can make them feel "worried", "shy", and "afraid of being looked at differently."
But as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow around the world, many people in the West are changing their attitudes. In the US, for example, the need for masks is very high now. The US surgeon general (卫生局局长) has been asking people to avoidhoardingmasks, as they are more needed in hospitals than by the general public, for this reason people should buy enough for their needs.
Mask culture in the East
In Asian countries like China and Japan, there has been a long tradition of mask-wearing. In China, for example, when doctor Wu Liande invented the modern medical mask during the pneumonic plague (肺鼠疫) in 1910, the mask became a symbol of China's position as a modern, scientific nation, according to Scottish medical anthropologist (人类学家) Christos Lynteris. The 2003 SARS epidemic again led to the wide use of masks as a form of anti-viral protection in China and elsewhere in East Asia.
In Japan, wearing masks has long been seen as a manner to reassure (使安心) others when one catches a cold or flu. Some Japanese also turn masks into fashion accessories (配饰), with different colors and patterns to match their clothes. Wearing masks is also a way to "hide" for young women when they don't have their makeup on.
In more collectivist (集体主义的) cultures in Asia, wearing masks might also be a symbol of solidarity (团结) during the outbreak, according to Lynteris. "Mask culture [in Asia] creates a sense of a fate (命运) shared, common obligation and civic (公民的) duty." People wear masks "to show that they want to stick together" in the face of danger, Lynteris wrote.
