Masks & the Coronavirus

Masks or no masks?

At the beginning of 2020, I would not have believed that that simple question would be one of the biggest ones I would face during the upcoming year.

In fact, I wouldn’t have even understood the question.

“What kind of masks are you even talking about? Halloween masks? Mardi Gras masks? Face masks on a football helmet?”

2020 has presented challenges that none of us could have fully anticipated. Political polarization. Protests. Riots. Economic upheaval. Sports cancellations. Social unrest. Wildfires. Hurricanes. And a global pandemic that has affected us all.

As our governor has said many times, “We are operating without a playbook.”

The last significant pandemic in America was in 1918…long before most of us were born.

This is new territory.

Uncharted.

Unprecedented.

Unwanted.

As a pastor, this year has confronted me and our church with a number of difficult decisions. When to stop meeting? When to start meeting? How to stay connected while not meeting? How to stay unified while meeting? How to minister effectively online? How to minister effectively in person with social distancing? How to fellowship via Zoom? How to fellowship in the same room? How to worship corporately? How to worship safely? How to sort through the changing, and often conflicting, guidelines and information? How to keep everyone together when opinions and convictions seem to be conflicting?

And perhaps the symbolic watershed issue of the day…masks or no masks?

I have heard both sides of the issue…multiple times.

And I see both sides of the issue.

On the “no mask” side…

The information from health officials and organizations has been contradictory from the beginning. The same people who chided people for wearing masks in March and April are now chiding people for not wearing them.

Many published health studies have shown that wearing a cloth mask does not prevent getting a virus like COVID-19 and only has limited effectiveness in preventing its spread. In some cases, wearing a mask could actually increase the spread of a virus because people do not wear the mask properly, touch their face more often (one study showed an average of 23 times per hour), do not properly sanitize their masks, tend to overuse them, do not wash their hands before and after use, and develop a false sense of security while wearing them.

Even the most recent CDC publication (October 2020) acknowledges that cloth masks may reduce the spread of COVID-19 but that no clear randomized clinical trial has proven their effectiveness.

On the “mask” side…

As health officials and organizations learn more about the spread of COVID-19, they have adjusted their recommendations accordingly. Since COVID-19 can spread via the inhalation of respiratory droplets, then reducing the amount of respiratory droplets in the air would obviously have benefit. Here is where masks are effective. Studies have shown that wearing a mask reduces the amount of respiratory droplets in the air along with the distance of their spread.

Thus, while wearing a mask may not effectively protect a person from getting COVID-19, it may effectively protect a person from spreading it to others.

Plus, some compelling case studies, along with general data from places that have instituted mandatory mask wearing, have shown reduction in the infection rates when the majority of people are wearing masks. Another recent study even theorized that wearing a mask may reduce the severity of the virus for those who do become infected.

In other words, there is legitimate data on both sides of the issue.

It is not cut and dry.

There is room for respectful debate.

However, the mask-wearing debate seems to heat up on other issues besides medical studies.

Politicization. Wearing a mask…or not wearing one…can be seen as support or protest against the president, the governor, or a political party.

Freedom. Not wearing a mask can be a way of preserving your freedom from intrusive and sometimes excessive governmental overreach.

Compassion. Wearing a mask is seen as a way of projecting that you care about others and have faith in the intentions and recommendations of health organizations and the overall scientific community.

For some, not wearing a mask says, “I am free…and not fearful!”

For others, wearing a mask says, “I am concerned…and not selfish!”

In my own experience, I have seen the benefits of both wearing a mask and not wearing one.

In wearing a mask…and seeing others wearing them, I am reminded that there is a pandemic out there and I shouldn’t ignore it. I should be careful. I should care about others. Though I may not be at risk, others are…and I shouldn’t downplay their health or their concerns.

In not wearing a mask…and being able to talk to those without them, I am reminded of the importance of relationships…of seeing someone’s face…of seeing someone’s smile. Though there is a physical risk out there, I cannot live in isolation. I cannot socially distance from every relationship. And I cannot live in fear of every potential hazard that I may confront in life.

I have also seen both sides of the issue in a church setting.

While on vacation this past summer, my wife and I visited two different churches. At one church, we arrived with our masks on, being sensitive to whatever people we may meet inside. To our surprise, in this large church, not a single person had a mask on. Though we enjoyed the worship and the fellowship, we also felt like people may have been a little too nonchalant about the risks around them.

The next Sunday, at a different church, we had the opposite experience. Everyone had a mask on and did not take it off during the entire service. Even the praise team led worship with masks on. Only the pastor took off his mask to deliver the sermon (though the week before he had to wear a mask because of local regulations). It was strange, almost surreal, to never see anyone’s face during the entire time of worship and fellowship. It felt emotionless, isolating, distant. We realized that it is practically impossible to get to know anyone, to communicate with anyone, to minister to anyone when you are standing six feet back and wearing a mask.

Relationships are hard to grow behind masks.

So what do we do…as individuals…as a church?

One, realize that you don’t have everything figured out. None of us have perfect knowledge. None of us are free from limitations and bias. None of us know the future. Be open to input. Keep learning. Be willing to change your views or at least temper your temperature on the issue.

Two, wear a mask, when you can, if you can. For most people, wearing a mask is not going to make or break them. It is a small inconvenience that may help prevent the spread of a contagious, potentially life-threatening virus. It may also communicate to someone who has serious health concerns that you care about them. (Of course, if you do wear a mask, try to wear it properly, don’t keep touching your face or your mask, and don’t forget to wash your hands.)

Three, if you are around others who aren’t wearing a mask, don’t assume that they are being careless or unconcerned. They may have other issues that you are not aware of. They may need to breathe physically or emotionally. They may need some sense of normalcy or freedom. Or they may even see showing you a smile or being able to talk to you freely (while standing at a safe distance) as the best way of showing love.

Four, extend large measures of grace toward others. You may not agree with them but seek to understand them. Seek to be sensitive to them. Don’t let a mask be the source of contention. There are bigger things in life…and certainly bigger things in our faith…than being right about a face mask.

Five, fix your eyes on your Savior, Jesus Christ. For those preferring to wear a mask, He is your security and your protection in all of your interactions with others. For those preferring not to wear a mask, He is your example and your model of sacrifice and love in all your interactions with others. For both, He is our peace and the One who specializes in bringing together different people with different convictions.

Isn’t it possible that the controversy surrounding masks is actually an opportunity for the body of Christ to learn from one another?

Isn’t it possible that there is no “right or wrong” on this issue but rather a good, better, and best depending on the situation?

Isn’t it possible that the path of wisdom requires us to balance both sides of the issue and to walk somewhere in the middle, between both extremes, wearing a mask at times and not wearing it at others?

One thing is for sure…when Christ is the center of our attention and the Lord of our actions, then it is possible to live in both humility and security, both freedom and servanthood, both diversity and unity.

Both with and without masks.