Rep. Louie Gohmert has tested positive for COVID-19, and we wish him a swift and full recovery. At the same time, his experience provides a lesson for the great debate over masks that has been the source of charged debates and heated moments captured in viral videos over the past several months.
Before testing positive for the coronavirus, Gohmert would intermittently wear a mask while walking around Capitol Hill. For instance, on Tuesday, he wore a required mask at the House Judiciary Committee hearing featuring testimony from Attorney General William Barr. However, before the meeting, Gohmert was captured on video walking alongside Barr without wearing a mask.
In June, the Texas Republican told CNN that if he were to get the coronavirus, “you’ll never see me without a mask.”
But Gohmert’s experience has affirmed what has been clear for months, which is that it’s possible to have COVID-19 and experience mild or no symptoms. A person who does not feel sick enough to get tested could still have the virus and transmit it to others.
In this case, Gohmert appeared perfectly fine but ended up testing positive when he was screened before he was supposed to fly to Texas on Wednesday with President Trump.
The fact that people can be infectious without knowing it is a good argument in favor of widespread mask usage. From the get-go, masks have been a source of controversy. And similar to many issues in today’s political discourse, the debate has become dominated by extremists on both sides.
Viral videos have shown customers exploding when asked by retailers to wear a mask in their stores. At the same time, social media have become venues for shaming those who choose not to wear masks — even in wide-open outdoor environments that are not crowded.
The debate has been complicated by mixed signals from health experts. Early on, concerned about the shortage of masks available to front-line medical workers, public health officials advised the general public to avoid wearing masks — some even arguing they were ineffective. When the story of the coronavirus is written, this may go down as one of the most costly errors made. The contradictory messages provide fodder to those pushing back against the advice of public health officials, including the current guidance about wearing masks.
But the evidence has shown that, when used properly, masks can make it significantly harder for infected people to transmit the virus and somewhat harder for somebody to become infected. While wearing a mask is not a magic bullet, if worn widely, it can help slow the spread of the virus.
Of course, some people have taken the guidance to extremes. The ritual shaming of people captured without wearing masks while in wide-open outdoor spaces where social distancing is possible has gone way overboard. It just reinforces the skeptical view that the coronavirus restrictions are more about asserting power than in protecting public health.
At the same time, if a private entity, such as Walmart or Costco, requires customers to wear masks to protect their employees and fellow customers, there’s no reason the anti-mask crowd should view it as some sort of fundamental infringement of its rights. In more confined indoor spaces, wearing masks makes sense.
This should be especially welcomed by those who have tired of the strategy of shutting down businesses and restricting human activity to slow the spread of the coronavirus. If wearing masks allows people to safely engage in a wider range of activities, their use should be embraced.
