The best approach to unmasking is a cautious one

As masks quickly disappear in our area, we should keep in mind that we live in one of the most crowded corners of the country.”

 "Follow the science.” That phrase, and variations on it, have become ubiquitous during the coronavirus pandemic. Sadly, those words, summing up evolving medical information, have sparked suspicion among many, leaving them doubting — and even rejecting — the science we should depend on to guide us through the worst public health crisis in a century. Even as it appears to be fading.

As the pandemic spread nearly two years ago, it became apparent that mask wearing would be crucial, amid what we learned was primarily an airborne threat, and given that we all wanted to return to “normal” as soon as possible. Once we understood that we were in for the long haul, we debated the efficacy of face coverings. What type worked best? When and where to don them? At work? At school? At the gym? At family gatherings?

As case numbers rose and fell — and with them the accompanying recommendations and restrictions — our patience ebbed. When vaccines came onto the scene, many of us thought for sure we had seen the end of masks. New variants changed that, but many people were simply fed up, as we have witnessed at heated school board meetings across the country, willing to cast the scientific consensus aside and join the rallying cry for “freedom” from covered faces.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman was eager to lead the effort locally, and his clash with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s school mask mandate has wound up in the courts. Meanwhile, as the Omicron variant has waned, other states have begun to loosen mask-wearing restrictions — this time, so many of us hope, for good.

Hochul lifted her mask mandate for public places last week. Masks are still required in hospitals, nursing homes and on public transportation, according to the state, but that has only added to the continuing confusion that is an inevitable product of pandemic fatigue.

Despite growing cries from parents to unmask their children, to say nothing of political pressure — several Republican members of New York’s congressional delegation sent Hochul a letter demanding she end the school mandate — the governor remains steadfast, following what her office termed “factual public health data.”

She is expected to make a decision on whether to continue requiring masks in schools on March 1.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, told the Financial Times that in this phase of the pandemic, “decisions will increasingly be made on a local level rather than centrally decided or mandated.” As masks quickly disappear in our area, we should keep in mind that we live in one of the most crowded corners of the country, and those decisions should be guided by common sense — and, yes, science. Given all we’ve learned about how the virus spreads, and how quickly its statistical trends can change direction, abandoning mask-wearing altogether seems to fly in the face of both.

Another phrase repeated often over the past two years is “with an abundance of caution.”

We caution elected officials to keep the advice of our health experts in mind when making decisions that affect so many lives, especially when it is far from clear that a deadly virus is finished wreaking havoc with them.