July 29, 2020 at 12:29 AM EDT
At the heart of dismal U.S. coronavirus reaction, a filled relationship with masks
The mask is the easiest and among the most effective weapons against the coronavirus in the general public health arsenal. From the start, Americas relationship with face coverings has been deeply laden.
Malfunctioning guidance from health authorities, a cultural aversion to masks and a deeply polarized politics have all contributed. So has a president who resisted function modeling the benefits of face coverings, and who belittled those who did.
The result, specialists state, is a nation that wasted among its finest opportunities to beat back the coronavirus pandemic this spring and summertime. In the process, the United States fell far behind other nations that avoided the fuss over masks, costing lives and threatening the healing heading into the fall.
By Griff Witte, Ariana Eunjung Cha and Josh Dawsey
