A ride-around survey shows about half doing so locally

A clear picture is emerging on what it will take to allow our state and country to emerge from the shutdown of our economy and the self-quarantining of the vast majority of residents in states like Massachusetts. Some of it requires the work of scientists and researchers to determine if exposure to COVID-19 creates antibodies that give long-lasting immunity to the disease, to develop drugs that will make the disease less virulent, and to come up with a vaccine. An extension of that work will require access to regular testing with immediate results so that it will be known who is carrying the disease and who is not, and quarantining for 14 days those who are infected.

The other requirements for an emergence from our cocoons are up to us. We need to develop different habits, probably permanently, such as social distancing, the regular washing of hands, and the use of masks/face coverings.

After conflicting messages just weeks ago on about whether or not people should wear masks in public, including one from our national Surgeon General who tweeted that masks “are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus,” scientists and health officials now universally recommend that people wear face coverings in public to slow the spread of the virus.

As a result, wearing masks or face coverings is becoming a requirement in many areas of the world.

In California, which seems to have avoided the case and death toll of the Northeast thanks to an earlier shutdown of the state and a higher degree of wearing masks and practicing social distancing, Gov. Gavin Newsom has stated that face coverings will likely remain a feature of public life. Many communities in California have made it mandatory to wear a mask in any public setting; other communities have made it mandatory to wear a mask if going into any business setting; and some businesses are now requiring patrons to wear a mask in order to shop.

On April 15, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York sent out the following tweet: “I am issuing an executive order today that all people MUST wear a mask or face covering in public in situations where social distancing is not possible.” On the same day, Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania issued an order that masks must be worn by workers and customers in Pennsylvania businesses, and requires that businesses deny entry to customers who are not wearing masks “unless the business is providing medication, medical supplies, or food, in which case the business must provide alternative methods of pick-up or delivery of goods.” San Antonio in Texas issued a similar order.

Across the world, Singapore has a mandatory face mask requirement, and the Czech Republic requires everyone to wear a mask covering the nose and mouth at all times outside the home. Austria has recently allowed thousands of hardware and home improvement stores to reopen, but both workers and customers must wear masks. These countries have successfully “bent the curve” of the virus and are in the process of reopening.

Locally, the town of Brookline is requiring anyone out in public to wear a face mask or face covering, and Salem has issued a requirement for mandatory masks in businesses. Statewide, our Department of Public Health has only issued an “advisory” that “a face covering may help prevent you from spreading COVID-19 to other people.” The city of Boston “is encouraging people to wear a face covering when they leave their home to help stop the spread of COVID-19.”

So how are “advising” and “encouraging” working?

I spent parts of two days this week visiting ten business districts and one beach area (Carson) to see how many people are wearing masks/face covering. I spent 20-30 minutes in central business district locations on sunny days and monitored people going by, counting the total number of people and how many were wearing any type of face covering. The number of individuals ranged from 90 to 144 per location, and I counted people who had a mask/face covering on their head as wearing it, even if it didn’t cover their mouth and nose. Though it would not qualify as a scientific study, I believe it tells a story of how effective our state and city’s “advice/encouragement” approach is working.

My conclusion after counting about half of the more than 1,200 people I saw in my ride-around last week not wearing any kind of facial covering? We’re not going to get where we need to be to stop the spread of the virus through “advisories” or “encouraging." The governor and mayor need to mandate the use of masks/face covering in public spaces.

Beyond that, they need to mandate the same thing for those preparing food (currently not a requirement) and for those who work in businesses that are open to the public. We also need businesses to require customers to wear face coverings if they want to shop in their stores.

We’re in the surge.

It’s time to order face coverings for all who go out in public.

Bill Walczak is a Dorchester resident and the co-founder and former CEO of the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester. He is also the former president of the South End Community Health Center. His column appears weekly in the Reporter.