I don’t usually do a fashion report here on the show, but I think you might want to know what the hot look for summer is going to be: FACEMASKS!!
Philadelphia is the first city in the US to go back to mandatory masking in all indoor spaces. The decree follows a 50% increase in cases of COVID-19 in the city over the past two weeks. The city’s Public Health Commissioner feels this is the signal of a new wave of mass infections and believes that by masking up now, a full-on return to mass deaths and jam-packed hospitals can be avoided. I should point out that the coronavirus activity levels in the city of Philadelphia and its surrounding county are still “low” according to the Centers for Disease Control standards–despite the 50% increase. And the caseload is still smaller than when the city repealed its first facemask mandate.
Today’s New York Times is trying to boost this trend as well. A front-page article points out that cases in the Northeast are up…..10% over the past two weeks. The article quotes epidemiologists at a couple of colleges (including Harvard) that think this is the indicator of the “next big wave”–and then in their next sentence admit they have no idea if this is going to be a big wave. Other scientists admit to “scratching their heads” because this “new wave” isn’t producing the expected increase in hospitalizations. I should note that the increasing numbers of cases in the Northeast US are currently at 6% of the case numbers seen in January and February.
Since we have already turned this into a segment usually seen on a network morning “news” show: I also want to share with you the hottest travel accessory for your summer getaways: FACEMASKS!!!
The current Department of Transportation mandate for face coverings on all commercial flights, buses, trains, and in all airport terminals, bus depots and train stations is scheduled to end next Monday–so you might think this fad is coming to an end. But the White House COVID-19 response coordinator told NBC this week that extending it again is “definitely on the table”. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tells ABC that no decision has been made yet–but he certainly did not indicate that anyone is leaning toward lifting the mandate.
Airlines are likely praying that the mandate is lifted. Anger over terminals and planes being the only places in the country that you still have to mask up is a flashpoint in the growing trend of passenger incidents and violence. Having recently completed a trip that involved three terminals, two flights, and 13-consecutive hours of masking up, I can attest that at points during the journey I was ready to rip off that mask and fight anyone that wanted me to put it back on–and I’m an ultra-laid back guy.
Public transportation systems are also hoping the mandate goes away, as ridership numbers continue to languish, in part because people see a bus full of folks masked up and assume that riding the bus or the train is some sort of high-risk activity–especially when the people inside get off and all go into the same store or other business together–where no one is requiring them to mask up. I should also point out that the masking requirement for transportation goes against the recommendations of the the CDC.
Like platform boots, Michael Jackson jackets with 53 zippers and no actual pockets, and wearing your pants halfway between your hips and knees, fashion doesn’t always follow function. And so it will be with this year’s hot trend of masking up again. Let’s hope that we can someday get to the point where we can all get a good chuckle out the the mask-wearers–just like seeing the guy at the bar with the perm and the Members Only jacket.
